One Word from You
by Lucky Strike's alter ego
Summary: Mia McCallum suffered a terrible loss three years ago that she's still grieving over. Tony Stark is still reeling from the betrayal at the hands of a friend. Both are lonely people who've lost more than anyone can imagine but when Tony decides to hire Mia, a confused well-known novelist, to write his biography, a connection and attraction starts to take place. *Post CA: Civil War*
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: Okay so here's another story. People are probably going to be pissed because not only do I have another story I haven't updated in a couple weeks but I also just published a new one on here. The thing is that I've had these stories in my document folder forever and I only just decided to publish them because I'm kind of frustrated with 'Some Things Never Sleep' right now. I wrote half a chapter that somehow got deleted and now I can't recover it so I'm going to have to re-write it but I'm not ready yet. I just need a little time to get back into it.**

 **So 'One Word from You' is a story I've had around for a long time but have never published. I just read this really good Tony Stark/OC fanfic the other day and came to the conclusion that there isn't a ton of Tony Stark/OC fanfics out there so I decided just to publish this one to see what people think. The face claim for this story is Anna Kendrick by the way.**

 **There's not a ton of dialogue in the first couple chapters because you find out that the main character is super lonely and is always alone with her thoughts which isn't entirely healthy. She's been through a lot so it's understandable but there will be a lot more dialogue in the third chapter.**

 **I'm also planning on updating 'Sweet Dreams' next. I'm nearly finished with the next chapter. I thought I'd just let people know in case there's any fans of that story reading this one.**

 **I don't own any of the characters in this story except the ones I make up like Mia. Everything else belongs to Marvel. I also don't own the song 'First Love/Late Spring' by Mitski. The title of the story actually comes from one of the lyrics.**

 **I really hope you enjoy this story since I've been keeping it to myself for so long. Let me know what you think.**

* * *

 _So please hurry leave me_  
 _I can't breathe_  
 _Please don't say you love me_  
 _胸がはち切れそうで_

 _One word from you and I would_  
 _Jump off of this_  
 _Ledge I'm on_  
 _Baby_

 _Tell me "don't"_  
 _So I can_  
 _Crawl back in_

 _- **First Love/Late Spring** by **Mitski**_

* * *

 **2013**

If someone had asked Mia if she ever thought she would be here a few years ago, she would've said they were crazy…that they were sick and vindictive because nothing like this would ever happen for a million years. Not to Mia. Mia wasn't a bad person. She thought she was a good person or whatever. Mia recycled and every time the cashier at a department store asked if she wanted to round up to donate money to whatever charity the store was working with, Mia always said yes. Well, Mia didn't go to church anymore so maybe that was it. Maybe God was punishing her for never going to church. That had to be it, right?

"I'm so sorry, Amelia." Her cousin told Mia as said cousin gave her a look full of pity.

"Thank you, Amanda." Mia told her as she faked her best smile. Mia and her cousin Amanda had been very close growing up but then the inevitable happened. Amanda grew really tall and developed big boobs during eighth grade. Suddenly Mia became the lame cousin that she didn't want to hang out with anymore. Ever since then Mia and Amanda's relationship had been frosty which was why Mia wished her of all people weren't here. She was probably smug about the whole thing.

"Really. It's just all unexpected about poor Michael. Who would've expected this to happen?" Amanda said in a false sweet tone. Mia knew her well enough to know that Amanda was only pretending to be polite. Her dear sweet cousin was a terrible actress. Mia just nodded.

"Yes, well, it is happening." Mia told her and Amanda continued to smile at her.

"Just let me know if you ever need anything. You can call me." Amanda told her and Mia just faked another smile.

"Thank you." Mia told her and Amanda gave her one last smile before walking off to probably go get a plate of food. That was probably the only reason Amanda was there. To get free food.

"What a bitch." Holly muttered as she went to stand next to Mia. Mia looked up at her older sister in surprise.

"Holly!" Mia said in surprise but Holly didn't appear phased.

"Come on, Mia. You know she is." Her sister told her knowingly. "Why else would she come here? She just spent the last half an hour bragging about her modeling career, at JC Penny's of all places, at your husband's fucking funeral. Who does that?" Mia sighed tiredly.

"I guess you have a point." Mia said softly and Holly just nodded.

That's exactly where Mia was right now yet she could hardly believe it. She was at her husband's funeral. Her husband who had been dead for exactly six days now. Six days and Mia could still barely understand the concept that he was dead now. She glanced back at the picture of him that her mother had set up in the living room of their apartment. Mia swallowed hard as she saw the picture of her husband.

Michael David McCallum.

With his dark brunette locks of hair and his pale blue eyes. Michael with his blindingly charming smile. When Mia first met him she had been nineteen and she thought he was handsomest man she had ever seen. She couldn't believe it when he actually seemed to take an interest in her. Mia couldn't believe it when he proposed to her two years later either. Now she just couldn't believe the fact that she was a widow at twenty six.

"You okay, Mia?" Holly asked her in concern and Mia finally tore her gaze away from his picture to look back at her sister. She smiled as best as she could.

"Yes. I'm fine." Mia said quietly even though she was lying. She didn't think she was ever going to be fine again. "I just drifted off for a moment there."

"You do know that Mark and I are here for you, right?" Holly said sympathetically but her sympathy was genuine unlike Amanda's fake sympathy. "I know we've been kind of busy with the kids lately but I'll always be here for you. I can make time for you."

"I'm fine, Holly. Really." Mia told her but Holly still didn't look like she believed her. Holly knew her too well. Her older sister just nodded but gave her an unconvinced look.

"Still…you can call me any time and I'll be here. Kids or no kids." Holly said as she then wrapped her arms around her younger sister. Mia just nodded as her sister hugged her but she didn't think she would take Holly up on her offer. Her sister had a family now and a career. Mia doubted Holly would have any time for her sad little widowed sister.

"I know, Holly." She told her sister anyways. Holly smiled at her before something else seemed to catch her attention. She frowned when she noticed her kids causing mayhem in the kitchen. "Damn those kids. Hang on, Mia. I'll be right back."

"Take your time." Mia told her as her sister hurried off after her kids. An unreadable look came across Mia's face as she watched her sister tend to her kids. _That should've been me_ , Mia thought to herself. She should've been the one chasing after a couple of hyper children. That's what should've happened at least…if Michael was still alive.

Mia hadn't wanted to start trying for kids yet. She said she was too young and not at a good place in her career. Mia had wanted to wait until she was thirty. Michael had been a few years older than Mia so he had been more insistent about having kids but he accepted the fact that Mia wanted to wait like the supportive and doting husband he was.

Mia didn't know why she wanted to wait. She didn't think it was because of her career because her career was doing more than fine which was a lot more than what most novelists could say. She had gotten a couple of her books published and they were currently on the New York Times Bestseller list. There was even talks of a movie deal coming so you could imagine the cash flowing in at this point. It had been the perfect time to start a family but Mia supposed she had just been scared…scared that she and Michael would end up like her parents. Mia could see that was stupid now because she was twenty six with a dead husband and no kids. She was starting to realize that she had spent all that time being scared and it was all for nothing.

Michael was dead and she was alone.

* * *

When everyone had finally left the wake, Mia found herself alone for the first time. Her mother had caught a flight back to Maine which wasn't that far away but it still didn't help Mia from feeling less alone. Her father and his wife had returned to Florida with Mia's half-siblings which Mia really didn't mind. Her father had never cared for Michael but Mia didn't really care for her father either. Her sister and brother-in-law had returned to their Park Slope townhouse in Brooklyn with Mia's adorable niece and nephew. Holly had tried to tell her that she would stay if Mia needed her but Mia knew that she was going to have to be alone eventually. Why pretend any longer?

So here she was in her and Michael's Williamsburg apartment in Brooklyn. Wait…no, it was _her_ Williamsburg apartment in Brooklyn. It was no longer her and Michael's apartment because Michael was dead. He wasn't there anymore. It was just Mia now.

It was only then that she realized that this was the first time she had ever lived alone. Mia had gone straight from her childhood home to a college dormitory and from there she moved in with Michael. Mia had never lived alone before because she never had to. Now she was officially alone and she didn't know what to do with herself.

Who was she going to talk to in the mornings? Who was she going to watch _Friends_ re-runs with at night? Who was she going to complain to about her annoying publishing agent? These were all the things she did with Michael but now it was just starting to sink in that she wasn't going to be able to do any of those things anymore.

Then there was that other thing her Great Aunt Ethel told her at the funeral. Mia didn't really like the old lady because she was a horrible gossip and snob but Mia couldn't help but let her aunt's words get to her.

 _You're still young. You can find another husband._

Another husband? The very idea made Mia want to throw up. How was she going to be expected to go through all of that again? Now Mia was starting to wonder whether she would be alone for the rest of her life or if she would have to start dating again. Neither prospect seemed appealing to her but Mia always had a way of looking too far into the future. It was something Michael always made fun of her for. Her need of overthinking and over planning everything.

Mia knew she wasn't going to start dating now. Her husband just died for crying aloud but was she going to have to start dating eventually? It was either that or be alone forever but how was Mia going to date? She hadn't been in the dating scene since 2006 when she started dating Michael who happened to be her first boyfriend. It turned out that Michael had been her first when it came to a lot of things.

Still…How did dating even work now? Didn't people have apps for that now? How was Mia even supposed to get back out there because she doubted she was the woman of some guy's dreams. No guy dreamed about dating a widow. There was another question in Mia's mind too.

Did she even want to date again?

Mia didn't think so even though it was way too early to be thinking about this sort of thing. Michael would just roll his eyes if he was here and tell her how much of an insane person she was. But that was exactly Mia's point. How could she ever move on from Michael? It wasn't like he was some asshole who left her. He didn't choose to leave her.

He died.

He was the love of Mia's life so how could she ever date someone else? That would be like a betrayal or something, right? Cheating. While, Mia didn't actively go to church or anything like she did when she was little, she did believe in God. She believed in heaven and she believed in the fact that Michael was up there somewhere with little angel wings waiting for the day when she bit it. If Mia married someone else then that would be pretty awkward. It would be like having two husbands unless that husband was Satan or something and never made it to heaven.

Ugh! Mia really was going insane. Here she was sitting alone after Michael's wake thinking about the fact that she would be alone forever. It was never supposed to be like this! Mia and Michael were going to start trying for kids in a couple years. She had it all planned out. She planned on having their first child by thirty then their second one by thirty three and the last one by thirty six. Just so there was enough time between them that they wouldn't have three newborns all at once but also so that their kids would be close in age.

They were finally going to move out of this small apartment in Williamsburg and move into a more spacious house in Brooklyn Heights. Somewhere that was a good neighborhood and had an amazing school district. Then they'd raise the kids. Mia was already setting up a college fund because with three kids she knew they'd need it.

Their oldest, Ben, was going to be a marine biologist because that was Mia's dream profession when she was little until she realized that she had to have an understanding of science on some level. He'd get into Culver University and graduate with honors because he was the genius of the family. William, their second oldest, would study business abroad in Paris where he would meet this beautiful French girl and fall in love. They'd buy a beautiful house in the South of France and have adorable French children. Then there would be Violet, the baby of the family but also the wild child. Violet would drop out of college before traveling the world and seeing all it had to offer. Violet would be an artist but she would also be a free spirit.

Through all of this, Mia could see her and Michael growing old together as they watched their children grow up and make mistakes but also succeed. Eventually Mia and Michael would tell their children about how they fell in love in Edinburgh. Mia even saw the two of them going back to Scotland, where Michael was from and where she met him, as an elderly couple.

Mia always knew one of them would die before the other one but she thought it would be like in the _Notebook_. Where James Garner and Gena Rowlands died in each other's arms which was an ending that made Mia cry every time she saw it. Mia just always assumed that her and Michael would be in their eighties before they had to worry about death. Boy was she wrong.

Her life wasn't like _The Notebook_ as it would turn out. No, her life was much more like _P.S. I Love You_ which wasn't the romance movie anyone wanted their life to become. Besides…at least Gerald Butler's character knew he was going to die in that movie. He left Hilary Swank's character loads of letters and even a vacation to Ireland. Michael hadn't known he was going to die so he didn't have time to write her letters that would comfort her after he died. There was no vacation to Scotland he had planned out for her either. There was nothing but an empty apartment.

The only thing he left her was all his possessions inside that apartment that Mia knew she would have to eventually pack up but she couldn't bear to at the same time. Both options were heartbreaking to Mia. She could either leave all his things out which would be a constant reminder of his death and her heartbreak or she could pack up all his things and sob over the fact that he was gone forever. Both options were equally as bad as the other so Mia chose a third option.

She chose to ignore all his things and bury her face into her pillow on her bed so she couldn't see any of it. Mia was already completely wasted at this point so what other option did she have? It was either sob into a pillow or miserably sing karaoke like Hilary Swank did in _P.S. I Love You_ while wearing her dead husband's clothes. Although Mia was sure her mother would admit her into a mental hospital under suicide watch if she caught her doing that unlike Kathy Bates in the movie who basically did nothing.

"I'm going to be alone forever! Thanks a lot, Michael! You fucking asshole!" Mia cried into her pillow before she immediately regretted being so terrible to her now deceased husband. What kind of wife was she? Who called their dead husband an asshole? Although Mia was sure that Michael would only laugh at her. He'd give her that annoying little smirk he used to whenever he thought she was being amusing.

 _"_ _You know it's okay to be mad at me, love."_ She could practically hear him saying in that thick Scottish accent she had always loved. His accent was actually a small contributing factor to the reason she had fallen in love with him in the first place. He always thought she was being crazy when she told him how hot his accent was. _"It was kind of my fault in the first place. You always told me to stop my adventure seeking. You said it was going to get me killed one of these days."_

"Yes but I always knew you would never listen." Mia said to an empty room. "You never listened to me because you were so god damn stubborn. I should've tried harder to make you stay away from the woods and that stupid rock climbing idea you got into your head. I should've threatened divorce or something." Mia pictured Michael giving her a knowing smile.

" _Mia, you and I both know that you never would've divorced me."_ Michael told her and she just groaned as she continued to bury her face into her pillow. _"You were madly in love with me."_

"Were? As in past tense?" Mia questioned as she pulled her face a short distance away from her pillow. She swallowed hard as she then nodded to herself. "Right…because I can't be in love with a dead man now, can I?"

Mia then looked around the room only to realize that she was alone again with her husband nowhere in sight and she couldn't hear his voice either. It was all just a part of her weird imagination. Was she seriously hearing Michael's voice in her head now? What would her mother think? Mia didn't know and she most certainly didn't want to tell her. Her mother was already worried enough as it was.

"I've officially gone insane." Mia then declared to herself as she fell back against the pillows on her and Michael- No, _her_ bed. There was no more her and Michael anymore. That was no longer a thing and it never would be again. It was just her now. No one else.

Just Mia.

Mia turned as she stared at Michael's side of the bed when she had yet another revelation. Mia was going to have to sleep alone now. No more falling asleep together, no more waking up together, no more cuddling…no more sex.

 _"_ _You know, there's apps for that now, love."_ She could hear Michael saying but Mia just clenched her eyes shut as she shook her head.

Mia didn't even want to begin to think about having sex with another man. The thought terrified her. She knew it technically wasn't cheating since Michael wasn't alive anymore but it would still feel like cheating to her. No. Mia refused to think about dating, sex, or relationships. She was just going to have to do what Michael always told her. Mia was going to have to live in the present.

There would be no overthinking or looking into the future. Right now she would be a grieving widow and worry about the rest later. Mia was allowed to mourn her husband right now. That was perfectly acceptable in the eyes of the world since her husband hadn't even been dead for a week yet. Mia would just take it day by day until it started to get better. It was supposed to get better, right? She wasn't going to feel like this for the rest of her life, was she?

 _"_ _I wish I knew what to tell you but I'm the one who died, after all."_ Michael said and she could see that smirk on his face again. " _Although I'm sure I would've made a rather dashing widower."_

"Very funny." Mia muttered under her breath as she faced Michael's pillow on the bed. A part of her warned herself against touching or even looking at the pillow but Mia couldn't resist. It was just too tempting to her and she didn't like feeling alone.

The twenty six year old widow didn't hesitate as she reached for the pillow and immediately pressed her face against it, inhaling the familiar scent of him. She knew most people would find it creepy but she didn't care. Mia missed him and the pillow happened to smell just like him. It was almost like he was still there…like he had taken a trip out of town and he'd be calling her any moment now to ask how she was doing.

Except that would be a lie.

Michael wasn't on a trip out of town. He wasn't anywhere except heaven or wherever people go to after they die. There was no business trip. Michael wasn't going to be coming through that door in the morning, announcing his return. He was never going to come back no matter how much Mia pretended he was. A part of her had felt like the past week was just a terrible nightmare but now that the funeral was over, with Michael buried six feet under, she knew the truth. Michael was gone and she was alone. Her mother told her that these things happened and people died all the time.

Mia just never expected Michael to die this soon.


	2. Chapter One

**Author's Note: I just wanted to add that this story takes place post Captain America: Civil War. It'll kind of reference the events in Spider-Man: Homecoming and Avengers: Infinity War but Mia's not going to be actively involved in those storylines since she's not a superhero unlike some of my other characters. She's just a normal person.**

* * *

 **2016**

"Carter, why do I have to go to this thing?" Mia asked her publishing agent over the phone as she got ready for the ridiculous charity event she was going to. Apparently her publishing agent signed her up for said event which was something to do with raising money for puppies or something. Mia wasn't really sure.

"Because you're a celebrity now and everyone wants to meet you." Carter told her and Mia rolled her eyes.

"I honestly doubt that. The people at this event probably have no clue who I am nor have they read any of my books." Mia said and she could tell that Carter was probably rolling his eyes at Mia right now as well.

"Fine but the publishing company really needs an author representing them at this event and since you're the only one who's not actively working on a novel right now…." Carter trailed off and Mia narrowed her eyes even though Carter couldn't see her.

"Who says I'm not actively working on anything right now?" Mia questioned and Carter sighed.

"Well, not anything you'll let any of us see anyways. Mia, you've haven't had anything published in over three years." Carter reminded her and Mia quickly grew uncomfortable with the turn this conversation was taking.

"I told you I'm not ready for you to see it yet." She said quietly.

"I know, Mia." Carter said with that tone full of pity that Mia hated. "Just look at this as a chance to go out there and talk to people. Lord knows that you don't do that anymore."

"I still talk to people!" Mia argued.

"I mean people that aren't your sister and the cashier at the bodega you go to." Carter said like he knew her so well. Maybe he did know her really well. Although Mia always pretended to find him annoying, he had been a great help to her these past couple years. Despite being her publishing agent, he didn't nag her all the time for a new novel. Maybe a few times a year but never so much that it tipped her over the edge.

"I don't know, Carter." Mia said quietly. "I know I'm a lot richer than I used to be but I'm not J.K. Rowling rich. I don't have enough money to throw around like that."

It was true. While Mia was now a very successful author, she was not nearly as rich as J.K. Rowling or Stephen King. She had written two New York Times Bestsellers. One of those novels was currently being made into a movie. In fact, the only project she was actively working on at the moment was adapting the screenplay which really didn't count since it was from her own book. That was something both Carter and Holly pointed out to her on more than a few occasions.

Still…she had way more money than what she was used to having. Mia had grown up in a middle class family in Portland, Maine. They never had enough money to throw around for vacations to Disneyland or Hawaii but they weren't poor either. Although things got a bit tighter when her parents divorced when she was eleven and Mia had been super broke during college like most college students.

Mia actually missed her college days. The days of staying locked inside her dorm all day and eating nothing but Top Ramen before going to pubs on the weekend and blowing what little money she had on alcohol. Everything had been so much simpler back then…happier even.

"You don't have to spend any money." Carter told Mia, breaking her out of her thoughts. "You're just going to be representing the publishing company. Your job is to bid on the stuff I sent you in the e-mail. The publishing company is the one who's spending all the money."

"I mean, I guess I could go even though I doubt I'll know anyone there." Mia said, finally caving in.

"That's the spirit!" Carter said happily, satisfied that Mia was finally caving into him. "Now keep getting ready and the car will pick you up at six."

"Whatever you say, Carter." Mia mumbled.

"Good luck, McCallum." Carter said before hanging up the phone. Mia just sighed tiredly before she tossed her iPhone on the bed as she proceeded to get ready for tonight.

Mia felt kind of ridiculous getting ready for a fancy charity event since she was going to have to spend the entire evening with a bunch of rich people. What was the point? It's not like Mia would have anything to talk to them about. She wasn't even their level of rich.

These people were billionaires and Mia wasn't really even considered rich by New York standards. Maybe Maine standards but not New York. Her work on the screenplay for the movie was putting a hefty amount of money in her bank account but she was still nowhere near J.K. Rowling or Stephen King rich. She might've been getting closer to Gillian Flynn rich but she still wasn't there.

She glanced at herself in the mirror, making sure she looked good enough for the party. Mia didn't want to stand out or anything by looking horribly over or underdressed. The idea of standing out terrified Mia. All she wanted to do was blend in until she could leave the event. Get in and get out. That was Mia's motto.

For the charity event she was being forced into attending, Mia was wearing a long gray chiffon one-shouldered floor length dress that was probably the nicest dress Mia had ever worn. She was totally including her wedding dress in that too. It unfortunately wasn't even her own dress and she would have to return it to whatever designer it belonged to the next day. Mia looked down at the gorgeous heels she was wearing that boosted her short 5'1 height to about 5'6. She was sad to say that the heels would have to be returned too. She prayed the heels wouldn't make her feet bleed just so she wouldn't have to fork over five grand to pay for them.

Mia knew she could technically afford five thousand dollar shoes now but her middle class upbringing stopped her from actually going through with such a purchase. She scanned her make-up in the mirror for any mistakes, making sure she looked presentable. Mia was wearing a lot more make-up than what she was used to. Her eyeliner, smoky eye shadow, mascara, and false eyelashes made her feel like there was about ten pounds added to her face. So much that it took a short while to get used to opening and closing her eyes like a normal person again. Good thing she had decided to get ready early. Otherwise she'd look like a total weirdo at the event.

Her smoky eye shadow were complimented with her plum shade of lipstick which Mia kind of liked despite knowing she would never wear the lipstick again. This event was probably the only place Mia would ever wear this kind of make-up for. It's not like Mia ever went out anymore or anything. She mostly just stayed inside and watched Netflix these days…at least when she wasn't on her laptop working.

It had honestly been so long since Mia had done her make-up like this that she had to follow a YouTube tutorial just to figure out how. She especially had a hard time with the false eyelashes. Mia didn't think she had worn false eyelashes since high school. The only thing Mia didn't have much trouble with was her hair which she had straightened even though her hair was naturally straight. She just didn't want it looking frizzy or boring.

The only thing Mia had on that felt out of place was the wedding and engagement rings on her finger. Suddenly it seemed like they were the only thing she could stare at. Like there was nothing else in the universe except her and those rings. It became almost impossible for her to look anywhere else.

Three years.

It had been about three years since Michael had died and Mia still hadn't completely moved on from him. Well, she didn't think she had moved on from him at all. It had taken a year and a half before she was able to even go on a date. A date which had severely gone bad because she blurted out that her husband was dead within the first ten minutes. You can imagine how awkward the rest of the date was. Nothing could kill the mood like a dead husband.

Mia had even created a Tinder profile which she was sure that Michael would make fun of her for. Tinder sucked as it would turn out. Guys on there weren't looking for relationships and they were also super shallow most of the time. If you didn't look like a Victoria Secret model then bye-bye. Mia most definitely didn't look like a Victoria Secret model. She was way too short and petite for that. Guys never thought she looked hot either. They always thought she looked cute or adorable. Michael had been the only one who thought she looked hot. Mia never understood why.

 _"_ _It's because you look like a little fairy, love." Michael had told her not long after they started dating. Mia had blushed, looking down at the plate in front of her._

 _"_ _What? Is that supposed to be a good thing?" Mia asked him as she miserably failed at flirting. Michael just laughed, clearly amused by her._

 _"_ _Yes. It's a really good thing." He told her but Mia didn't believe him._

 _"_ _How is being cute a good thing? No one thinks a fairy is hot. No one ever thinks Tinker Bell is hot." Mia argued and Michael just smirked at her._

 _"_ _I happen to think fairies are extremely hot." Michael said as he leaned in closer to Mia. Mia felt a little short of breath as he grew closer. "You know, when I was a boy I used to have this fantasy about having sex with a fairy in the woods."_

 _"_ _Michael!" Mia exclaimed as she laughed, her face burning. Michael didn't appear embarrassed about his confession. He was never really the type to get embarrassed. "I can't believe you just said that."_

 _"_ _Don't worry, love." Michael told her softly as he winked at her. "I think you're the hottest girl in this place."_

Mia smiled at the memory before her smile faded once she remembered that he was dead. It wasn't exactly something that was easy to forget. Everything around her always reminded her of Michael. There were little reminders everywhere which made the pain of his absence harder.

Holly always told her that Michael wouldn't want her to feel this way. That he would want her to move on and maybe even find someone else. Mia argued that she couldn't possibly know what Michael would've wanted since Michael was dead but she understood what her sister was saying. Michael would've wanted her to be happy but it still didn't feel right. Three years still felt too soon. When would it stop feeling too soon? Ten years from now?

Twenty?

It's not like she hadn't been with anyone since Michael died. She had been on a couple dates with a couple men in particular but all three men instantly became weirded out once they found out she was a widow. They grew distant on the dates before they totally ghosted her via texts when they got home.

Mia completely hated dating in 2016. She never remembered it being that difficult dating back in the mid-2000s although technically Michael was the only dating experience she ever had. He was her first everything so she shouldn't have had to worry about dating in 2016 but she did as it would turn out. None of her attempts at dating had been successful. There were a couple assholes that she went on a couple dates with who ignored her after she had sex with them. Most girls would be able to spot those assholes from miles away but Mia was naïve when it came to dating but lesson learned.

It was even worse than she thought. Mia couldn't say the sex had been worth it because it wasn't. Not that it was terrible or anything but she just felt so guilty afterwards because she felt like she had cheated on her husband. She knew that was stupid. Her husband was dead but that didn't stop the feeling of guilt she felt afterwards. Mia didn't know why she felt guilty. She didn't know if it was because she still felt married to Michael or if it was because she wasn't in love like she had been last time. Mia was just confused.

She was confused a lot these days.

"I'll just leave the rings on." Mia told herself even though she knew Michael would give her a disapproving look if he was here.

 _"_ _Never going to catch a man with a ring on your finger, love."_ He'd tell her.

"I'm not trying to catch a man, idiot. I'm perfectly fine on my own." Mia would say back to him. "I've been living on my own for the past three years. I'm totally fine."

 _"_ _Sure you are."_ He'd reply, clearly not believing her.

"I'm serious! I'm perfectly fine. I don't need anyone. In fact, I like being alone." Mia would argue and he would give her a knowing look which would annoy her more than anything. He knew her better than anyone.

Michael knew that Mia hated being alone. She hated coming home to an empty apartment. She hated eating dinner alone and having no one to talk about her day. She hated binge-watching _Narcos_ by herself and having no one to discuss it with. She hated how clean the apartment was without "man clutter". Michael knew all these things about her and deep down Mia knew these things too. She really did hate being alone.

 _"_ _You're only lying to yourself, Amelia."_ He would tell her seriously and Mia would scoff as she gave him her usual annoyed look whenever he was right. Mia always hated it when he was right.

"Whatever, asshole."


	3. Chapter Two

**Author's Note: I'd also like to put a warning on this story that it'll contain a relationship with a huge age gap. I'm not sure if that'll make some people uncomfortable or not but keep in mind that the main character is twenty nine in this story so she's a grown woman capable of making mature decisions.**

 **Just thought I should let everyone know.**

* * *

The event was just as mind numbing as Mia imagined it would be. The charity auction was held in a lavish hotel she used to dream of staying in as a little girl. A hotel she probably still couldn't afford to stay in. It was just that expensive. Only the likes of really rich and famous movie stars could stay there. Taylor Swift too. Mia wouldn't be surprised if Taylor Swift could afford to stay in a place like this. Probably buy it too if she wanted.

The second she stepped out of the car, she was taken back by the flashing cameras and loud chatter as celebrities and rich people alike walked into the event. The paparazzi only took a few pictures of her before they quickly lost interest and moved on to someone more interesting like Robert Pattison. She was only an author, after all, so it's not like everyone knew who she was and it wasn't like people cared either. Mia was kind of glad because at least this meant that she could get in and out without drawing too much attention to herself.

The auction was the easy part. All Mia had to do was sit quietly as she waited for the items, the publishing company wanted to bid on, to come up. There weren't a lot of items that they were bidding on. Just a couple of first editions of Ernest Hemingway and Charlotte Bronte novels although she knew those could grow very expensive and far beyond anything she could afford even though Mia would love to have a first edition of a Ernest Hemingway novel. Maybe someday when she was J.K. Rowling rich which would probably be never. It's not like she wrote to be rich anyways.

She didn't know an author who did.

However, the auction wasn't until after the dinner and actual party itself. Mia would just have to get through the night of chatting with rich people who loved sucking up to each other before eating dinner which was about five hundred dollars a plate. She just really couldn't wait until this whole evening ended so she could go home and take a bath while she tried to erase the entire evening out of her mind.

"Are you working on anything currently?" Bridget asked her. Mia had met her a while back ago at one of these things. Bridget was a journalist and while Mia didn't really like journalists, despite being a writer herself, Bridget was okay. Mia was just glad to know someone.

"Sort of." Mia admitted as they ate their dinner at the table they were assigned to. The dining area was filled with chatter and laughter as the wealthy chatted each other up. Mia was assigned to a table filled mostly with journalists although Mia did spot another author. Jojo Moyes, author of _Me before You_ , who Mia was a huge fan of. Mia just felt a bit too shy to actually talk to her so she chatted with Bridget instead.

"Come on, give me something, Mia." Bridget practically begged. Mia shrugged. "Everyone's dying to know when you're going to publish your next book."

"I'm still in the process of finishing it." Mia told her and Bridget gave her a pointed look.

"That's the same thing you told me a year ago." She informed her and Mia blushed because she realized that Bridget was right.

It wasn't like Mia planned on taking this long to write the book. It's just that…well, the book was probably the most difficult one she had ever written. It had helped her cope a lot with Michael's death which was good. The book had also been the fastest one she had ever written but for the past two years she had been stuck on the last chapter. Not because she didn't know what she was going to write but because she knew exactly what she was going to write. Mia was afraid of writing the last chapter because it would mean ending the book…saying goodbye and Mia wasn't ready for goodbye.

"I've just been really stuck on the last chapter." Mia told her as she offered her a small smile. Bridget gave her a confused look.

"Why is that?" She asked her.

"It's just the best thing I've ever written. I feel really good about it." So that wasn't a lie. "I'm afraid of screwing it up so I'm really taking my time with the last chapter." But that was most certainly a lie. She knew she could end the novel but she just didn't want to.

"Well, good luck on the last chapter." Bridget told her as she smiled back at her.

"Thanks." Mia replied. She was about to ask Bridget if she was working on any interesting pieces for Rolling Stone, when something caught the blonde reporter's attention. Mia frowned as she saw the shocked look on Bridget's face.

"Oh my god." Bridget said as she looked off into the distance.

"What is it?" Mia asked in confusion. Bridget just shook her head before looking back at Mia.

"Tony Stark." Bridget said breathlessly. Mia's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Tony Stark?" She repeated. What…as in billionaire Tony Stark? _Iron Man_ Tony Stark? Mia didn't really get why Bridget would randomly mention Tony Stark now of all times.

"He's here." Bridget whispered and Mia's eyes widened in surprise.

"Really? Where?" Mia questioned and Bridget looked behind her, signaling that Tony Stark was seated at a table across the room. Mia slowly but subtlety turned around a bit in her seat to see if Bridget was actually being serious. She kind of thought she was joking and it wasn't until she discreetly looked across the room that she realized that Bridget was completely right. Tony Stark really was at the event. Mia was stunned.

Mia had met her fair share of celebrities. The fact that she briefly met Ryan Gosling once was still crazy to her. He probably thought she was someone's assistant or something but Mia didn't care. She'd cherish that moment forever.

However, Mia didn't think she had ever met or seen any Avengers in real life. Well, she and Michael had briefly seen Iron Man during the attack on New York all those years ago. She hadn't really seen him as Tony Stark in that fleeting moment he saved them. Mia had only seen Iron Man…the Avenger who saved their lives in the brief two seconds he stopped their lives from ending.

He was there one second and then gone the next..

Mia knew Tony Stark probably went to charity events all the time since he was probably the richest man on the planet but she just never expected to actually see him in the same room as her. It was kind of weird. Not in a bad way or anything but just in an interesting way. It was unexpected but interesting. She couldn't get a good look at him from this far away but she knew it was definitely him. He had shown up in her news feed enough, just like the other Avengers, for her to know what he looked like. Mia then quickly turned back to look at Bridget.

"Wow…certainly wasn't expecting an Avenger to be at this thing." Mia said to Bridget before taking a sip of her water. Although Mia couldn't be sure if being an Avenger was still a thing.

The Avengers had kind of disbanded a couple months ago when the Sokovia Accords thing started up. Mia never cared much for politics, she wasn't that kind of writer, but she knew the Avengers kind of broke up because Captain America and numerous other heroes wouldn't sign the accords. It was weird living in a world where Captain America, of all people, was considered to be a war criminal. She doubted anyone imagined that would ever happen.

"I know. It's weird, right?" Bridget said, still glancing over in Tony Stark's direction. "I don't know. I just thought with everything that happened with the accords that the Avengers still here would be recluses or something."

"What Avengers are left anyways?" Mia asked her curiously. She knew this was important stuff but Mia rarely kept track of what was going on in the news. Her focus was way more on writing and reading. Adapting the screenplay for the movie seemed to take up a lot of her time as well as reading the books from the Book of the Month Club. It was sort of Mia's job since she was a judge on their panel and had to review one of next month's books. It was kind of a lot to take in but Mia liked to keep herself busy. Busy with books and busy with writing. There was little time for anything else.

"Besides Stark? Just Vision and War Machine." Bridget answered and Mia's eyes widened in surprise. Three Avengers? That was seriously all that was left? Well, that was a little disconcerting to hear.

"Wow…" Mia trailed off, not knowing what else to say. Bridget just nodded before she leaned in a bit closer to Mia.

"Did you hear about Christine Everhart by the way?" Bridget said in a hushed tone. Mia gave her friend a confused look.

"Christine Everhart? Do you mean the woman on that news channel?" Mia said, vaguely remembering the name. Bridget nodded.

"She's an anchorwoman for WHiH World News now but before that she worked for Vanity Fair." Bridget informed her and Mia raised an eyebrow.

"And I care about this because…" Mia trailed off, not having a clue as to where her friend was going with this.

"Well, Christine was a couple years ahead of me at Brown and she was also in the same sorority which makes me privy to more info than what everyone else knows." Bridget said, beginning to explain her point.

"Anyways…she did a piece on Tony Stark several years ago and it turns out she was doing a bit more research than what Vanity Fair was aware of." Bridget continued to say and Mia stared at her for a moment in silence before her eyes flashed over to Tony Stark quickly. The man in question was chatting with various people, flashing a charming smile at everyone at his table. It was no secret that Tony Stark was a charmer when he wanted to be. Mia then glanced back at Bridget.

"You don't mean that she actually… _slept_ with him for an article in some magazine?" Mia said in disbelief. Bridget shrugged.

"I really doubt she did it for Vanity Fair. He's Tony Stark. Every woman wants to be able to say she slept with him." Bridget said and Mia wrinkled her nose in disgust. "The guy has like a thousand notches on his bed post."

"God, that's so degrading. This is 2016. Sleeping with a guy for some kind of achievement, whether it's professional or personal, is exactly why men keep treating us like fucking property." Mia said in disgust. "I'm not slut shaming or anything. It's just that doing it because you want to further your career by sleeping with some rich guy is disgusting."

"Well, Christine was always kind of a bimbo anyways. At least, from what I remember from college." Bridget said as she shook her head at the memory of Christine. "I think Vanity Fair heard about the one-night stand and they let her go which is why she's working for WHiH World News now. Not that any of that matters to Tony Stark."

"He doesn't really seem like a bad person though." Mia said despite not liking the story Bridget told her about Christine Everhart. "He started up the Stark Relief Foundation which has done a lot to help fix the damages in New York and Sokovia. And isn't Pepper Potts his girlfriend or something? She seems really nice."

"Not anymore. They broke up a couple months ago apparently." Bridget told her and Mia frowned.

Not that Mia cared that much about Tony Stark but she always had a love for celebrity gossip magazines displayed by the check-out line at the grocery store. It was her guilty pleasure. Sometimes Mia would browse the section as she waited in line and sometimes she would even see Tony Stark and Pepper Potts on the front cover of some of those magazines. Mia always thought they made a cute couple but mostly because she thought Pepper Potts was really cool. Pepper Potts was a badass business woman, after all.

"That's sad." Mia said, not knowing what else to say. Bridget just shrugged.

"Yeah. It's kind of hard to feel bad for him though since he's got billions of dollars to keep him warm at night." Bridget said jokingly and Mia smiled back at her but it wasn't quite genuine.

"I guess." Mia replied but she knew better than to believe a person was automatically happy just because they were rich.

While Mia wasn't as wealthy as Tony Stark, she still had quite a lot of money but she wasn't happy like people liked to believe. Mia was actually very lonely and miserable. Three years had passed but she was still a widow mourning the loss of her dead husband. Mia knew money meant nothing if you were alone. Deep down she knew she'd give all the money she had in the world if it meant she could bring Michael back.

However, Mia knew that nothing could bring Michael back but it was just how she felt…it was just how much she missed him. Mia didn't think she'd ever stop missing him. Three years since his death. Three years since her heart got broken. Three years and she still didn't feel alright.

Mia didn't think she would ever feel alright again.


	4. Chapter Three

**Author's Note: So this is a little bit of a longer chapter and it also contains a bit of Tony's POV. I also just want to make it clear that there's not really an autographed Ernest Hemingway book that I'm aware of even though that would be cool. I just threw it in there because Mia's supposed to bid on a couple items and _A Farewell to Arms_ is one of my favorite books. I don't care if that makes me seem like a hipster since hipsters are supposed to be obsessed with Hemingway. Hemingway was legitimately one of the great writers of all times. **

**Hope you enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think.**

* * *

Tony Stark had just managed to get away from a group of notorious suck-ups that he really didn't want to have anything to do with. He didn't know why he had even shown up to this thing. It's not like Pepper was really making him do stuff like this anymore. Not since the break-up. But maybe it was just from the guilt he still held within himself. Or maybe he just couldn't stand to stay locked up in the tower for another minute. It just left him with too much time to be alone with his thoughts.

It had been about two months since the incident in Siberia between himself and Cap…and Barnes. Two months and Tony was still reeling from that fight. Not in a physical sense at least. Well, maybe a little bit since Tony wasn't as young as he used to be.

No, Tony was still reeling from the feel of betrayal he was feeling towards Steve. It wasn't the fact that Steve had run straight to Barnes' side without hesitation. Tony actually understood why Steve would do that. Barnes was from Steve's life from before the ice so Tony could understand how loyal Steve was to him. He honestly didn't mind that part. However, it was more of the fact that Steve knew the truth about Tony's parents all this time and he kept it to himself.

Sure, Steve had apologized in the letter and everything. Tony thought he might've even accepted the apology but the sense of betrayal was still there. It bugged him that the man who was supposed to be his friend and teammate, the very same man his father held in such high regard, had betrayed him. It wasn't even the fact that Barnes had killed his parents that bothered him so much anymore. That shouldn't have been a surprise to Tony either since Barnes had been under Hydra's control during that time. No, it was more of the fact that Steve knew all this time and lied to him. He looked him in the face every day for the past two years and lied.

That's what hurt Tony the most.

So here he was two months later. Tony who had been dumped by Pepper and left by Steve who had taken most of the Avengers with him when he left. There wasn't much he had left to do now that everyone was gone. It was only Vision and Rhodey who were left at the compound these days. Tony mostly just focused on his work in the lab while occasionally keeping a close watch on the kid in Queens which seemed to be a stressful task in itself. For a teenage boy the kid drove Tony up the wall. If that's what having a child of his own was like then Tony didn't think he wanted any part of it. He briefly considered having children with Pepper but since him and Pepper were back to being friends, he doubted that was ever going to happen.

Tony made a bee-line for the bar, wanting to push thoughts of himself and Pepper out of his head. Now wasn't the time to sulk over all the times he fucked up in his life. Tony came here to forget all that. He didn't feel like doing anymore self-pitying at the moment. Tony could do that at home.

So without any more thought towards his and Pepper's failed relationship, Tony finally arrived at the bar where a bartender stood behind and a woman stood at the opposite end of. He briefly contemplated ordering a scotch, his usual drink of choice, but he held off when he remembered the talk Rhodey gave him not so long ago.

The talk about trying to be a responsible adult because he had the kid to think of now. Going on a three day bender while the kid was out there, potentially doing something stupid, wasn't the brightest idea. So Tony just opted for a glass of water instead. God, this responsible adult thing was way harder than he thought.

It was then, however, Tony turned to curiously look at the woman at the bar. She was the only one currently there. Everyone else seemed too busy chatting amongst each other. He looked her over unapologetically as he tried to pinpoint whether or not he had seen her before. The same people always seemed to show up at events like this so Tony was sure he would've remembered seeing her before but he didn't think he had. In fact, Tony was almost certain he had never seen the woman before.

The woman was tiny which was probably the most obvious feature about her. Even in heels she still stood a few inches shorter than he did. She was dressed in a beautiful gray gown that put a lot of the other gowns at this thing to shame. Her straightened chestnut brown tresses were down from any updo women usually wore to events like this one. Her skin was pale and creamy against the gray of her dress but Tony recognized that she was probably too young for him to be checking out and for it not to be creepy.

She must've been in her early twenties…college age more than likely and probably someone's daughter or granddaughter here. Still…Tony didn't know what it was about her that seemed to capture his interest. She wasn't pretty in a way he was used to. Not that she wasn't pretty but Tony just couldn't place his finger on it.

Tony continued to watch her curiously as the bartender placed his glass of water in front of him. She didn't seem to be paying attention in the slightest to what was going on around her. Her gaze was focused primarily on her phone as she occasionally swiped left or right. In fact, the woman seemed like she was probably just as miserable to be here as he was. Tony had to admit that was really saying a lot.

"Bored too, huh?" Tony inquired suddenly, curious to actually know what the woman's face looked like when said face wasn't glued to the screen of her phone.

Millennials, right?

However, Tony wasn't disappointed as she looked up at him in surprise. Her eyes were a dark blue and he was amused to see they were very wide and innocent looking. She was way too innocent looking to be at a party like this. Tony was sure of that, at least.

Mia had spent the past fifteen minutes on her phone after dinner finished. Bridget had left to go chat amongst the rich to see if she could get a few statements from any of them so Mia decided hang around the bar until the auction started. She was mostly preoccupied by Tinder although she didn't know why she still went on there. Maybe because of morbid curiosity. The men on Tinder were usually terrible. She lost track of the amount of times a creep would randomly send her a dick pic. Still…Mia was weirdly addicted to the swiping left and swiping right fascination most of the world seemed to encompass as well.

At least she wasn't the only one.

So you could only imagine her surprise at the voice that came from beside her. She supposed she was that preoccupied with her phone that she hadn't noticed anyone at the bar. Someone who surprisingly looked a lot like Tony Stark. Wait a minute…

Mia was actually pretty sure this _was_ Tony Stark. Mia took a minute to collect herself before answering the billionaire who Mia couldn't believe was talking to her let alone noticed her. It's not that Mia was Tony Stark's number one fan or anything but she was still unused to meeting celebrities although she was sure her Ryan Gosling encounter would forever remain her favorite.

"These kinds of things aren't really my scene." Mia told him honestly while she gave him a polite smile although she was kind freaking out mentally over the fact that she was talking to an Avenger. Anyone would've kind of freaked out, right? It's not everyday someone met a superhero.

Still…it was pretty weird that she was sitting at a bar with Tony Stark of all people. She briefly assessed his appearance now that she was up close to him. The first thing she noticed, as he stood there at the bar with her, was that he was shorter than what she thought he'd be. Mia didn't really know why she assumed he'd be tall. Maybe because people on TV always seemed taller than they were. Just look at Tom Cruise. Mia wondered if Captain America was short in real life too. Probably not.

He was Captain America. He couldn't be short.

Tony Stark was just as handsome as all the magazines made him out to be with his dark, almost perfectly styled hair although she could spot bits of gray in his hair which was a reflection of his age as well as the hardships he had obviously seen in his life. His goatee was also just as iconic as they made it seem in all the pictures too. Mia figured his facial hair would probably look ridiculous on anyone else but somehow Tony Stark made it work.

The billionaire's brown eyes were lit up with amusement as he smirked at her. Mia wasn't blind. She knew Tony Stark was very attractive. Especially in his very nice suit. Just because he was probably closer in age to her parents than her didn't mean that she couldn't secretly admire him and take it all in. She honestly felt the same way about Colin Firth and John Stamos.

"What isn't your scene? Charities that give back to the community?" Tony asked as he raised an eyebrow at her. Mia blushed.

 _Wow…this girl really seemed to be working the doe eyed, innocent look_ , Tony thought to himself. Tony knew she reminded him of someone but he didn't know who. It was right on the tip of his tongue but he couldn't place her.

"No, I just meant parties." Mia said as she exited out of Tinder and locked her screen. She didn't really want to risk Tony Stark catching her on Tinder. Mia didn't know why but there was something a little embarrassing about that.

"I know what you meant. I was just pulling your leg." Tony said before he nodded at her and introduced himself…as if Mia and everyone else didn't know who he was. "Tony."

"Mia." She said as she played along with his introduction, not bothering to mention how she was fully aware of who he was.

"Well, _Mia_ , I don't think I've seen you around one of these things before. I would've remembered you since I have an excellent memory." Tony said as he flashed her a charming smile.

That was actually kind of a lie. Tony had a really bad memory. He could never even remember what he had for breakfast. Tony barely remembered what he had for dinner and that was less than half an hour ago. Although he did wonder what Mia was short for? Possibly Maria or Camilla? Amelia most likely. Amelia seemed like the obvious choice.

"This is actually the first time I've been to one of these." Mia admitted and Tony looked at her curiously.

"Really? So whose daughter does that make you?" Tony asked her and Mia gave him a confused look, not having a clue as to what he was talking about.

"Daughter?" Mia questioned.

"No way a college kid like you wants to be caught dead in a place like this." Tony told her which confused Mia even more. College kid? "Please tell me you're not related to Ross. I might have to pretend I didn't see you if you are. I kind of left him on an indefinite hold."

"I'm not a college student and I'm also definitely not related to anyone named Ross." Mia told him, becoming immensely confused by the billionaire's weird rambling. Tony sighed in relief.

"Great. That's a huge relief. I was really holding my breath there for a minute." Tony said before going over what she just said. "Are you taking a gap year then? Backpacking across Europe or whatever it is that kids do these days."

"I graduated college a long time ago." Mia told him, sounding really bewildered and overwhelmed by how fast he was talking. Mia didn't think she had ever been this confused in any sort of conversation before. She was starting to think Tony Stark was a bit eccentric. "Wait…how young do you think I am?"

"Twenty." Tony guessed as he squinted his eyes at her like he was trying to get a better look at her or something. Mia just stared at him in astonishment. "No. Twenty one. Wait…nineteen? No offense, but you're probably the oldest looking nineteen year old I've ever seen."

"No, Mr. Stark. I'm not a teenager. I'm a fully grown woman." Mia said, sounding every bit as bewildered as she looked. She wasn't weirded out that he thought she was really young. People always mistook Mia for being younger than she actually was. Even when she was in the second grade kids thought she was in Pre-School. She assumed it had something to do with her shortness. Mia hadn't stopped wearing clothes from the children's section until she was in her freshmen year of high school, after all. In all honesty though, Mia was just bewildered by Tony Stark's behavior. She heard he was a bit…unique in the past but she never imagined it would be to this extent.

"I get the fully grown woman thing. Believe me. But no way are you over twenty five." Tony remarked and Mia was starting to get a little offended by his inquiries about her age. Not because she was sensitive about her age because she had a feeling it would lead to her height which was something she was actually a bit sensitive about.

"It's kind of rude to constantly goad a woman about her age. Hasn't anyone ever told you that?" Mia finally said and Tony was delightfully surprised by her feistiness. And to think he thought she was the push over type. Well, Tony had been wrong before but he liked the challenging look in the woman's blue eyes as she looked back at him.

"What about your age? How old are _you_?" Mia threw back at him. The corners of Tony's mouth lifted up before he forced himself not to smile and maintained a nonchalant look on his face.

"Forty six." Tony told her confidently, a smirk coming over his face. "I know it's really shocking. I look really young for my age, don't I?"

Mia actually didn't think he looked _that_ young for his age. The years of witnessing things that Mia probably couldn't even begin to contemplate clearly showed on his face in the form of small, tired wrinkles. Even though Tony was really showing his age, an annoying well-known fact about men was that they aged really well. Most of the time, at least. There were some men that probably didn't age well but Tony Stark didn't seem to be in that category even though he was a little bit older than Mia thought he was.

"I'm not going to answer that." Mia retorted and Tony was really enjoying the seemingly polite and cordial woman's newfound feistiness. He feigned a hurt look as he looked back at her.

"I'm really hurt, Mia. Really." Tony quipped while Mia just rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile at the man's antics.

For someone seventeen years older than her, he sure didn't act like it. God…seventeen years. Mia felt a tiny bit weird for checking him out earlier. She thought he was close in age with her parents before but he was even closer than she thought. Her parents were fifty two and now Mia felt like a weirdo for "admiring" him. What was wrong with her?

"Oh my god. Are you really A.N. Kazan?" A blonde haired woman said as she suddenly appeared next to Mia. Mia looked away from Tony in surprise, not expecting anyone to recognize her at the event. "My friend mentioned you were here but I didn't believe her."

"Um…yes. I decided to come here on Random House Publishing's behalf." Mia said cordially and she knew she had Tony Stark's complete attention at this point. She could feel his gaze on her. Mia blushed from the attention. It's not like she was used to being recognized, after all. Mia didn't put a picture of herself on the back of her book like most authors did. She'd rather let her work speak for itself.

"I can't even begin to tell you how much of a fan I am of yours." The blonde woman boasted much to Mia's embarrassment.

There was a reason that she was a writer. It allowed her to have her work published and let her writing do the talking. Mia had always been uncomfortable with attention. She had spent her years in high school locking herself inside her bedroom to read and write rather than going to all the parties her friends seemed to enjoy going to.

Mia still didn't regret doing that over ten years later. Her sister had been way more into the party scene than she had. Holly, being the captain of the volleyball team and a huge jock, had gone to parties every single weekend. Mia had never been interested in the crowds of people like Holly. They were complete opposites.

"The Brilliant Stupor of Madeline Adams is one of my all-time favorite books. I can't get over it." The woman continued to ramble on as Tony slowly started to realize that maybe Mia wasn't a young college student, after all. He was curious about what made Mia so famous that he was easily ignored. Tony wasn't used to being ignored. He could only assume she was a writer given the way this blonde woman was talking about Mia's book.

"Thank you." Mia said awkwardly, not knowing how else to react to the woman's praise. She was grateful but she was also uncomfortable.

"I've never read a book that's more accurate about high school and adolescence. It's really amazing the way you presented that in the book through Madeline. Madeline has to be one of my favorite characters ever." The woman said before giving Mia an apologetic look. "Sorry…I'm rambling."

"No, it's alright." Mia said as she smiled kindly at the woman. "I'm glad you love the book."

"Don't even get me started on your other book. Upon the Moors We Go is another favorite of mine." The woman informed her before giving her a curious look. "When is your next book coming out by the way? I heard that you were working on one."

"It's still a work in progress. Um…I'm just taking my time with it." Mia said as vaguely as possible. It was the same answer she gave to most people because she really had no clue when it was going to be finished.

"Well, I'm willing to wait for it because I know it'll be amazing once it's finished." The woman said happily and Mia forced herself to smile. Right…as if she didn't feel even more pressured than before about the book. "Anyways…it was nice meeting you. I'm Mary by the way."

"Mia." She introduced and the woman gave her one last smile before walking away.

Mia stared after her with an unreadable look on her face. She suddenly felt anxious as she watched the woman go because the woman was yet another reminder of Mia's failure in completing the book. Mia felt like she might never finish the book. Before she could think any more on the subject, she was then once again reminded of Tony Stark's presence.

"I have a feeling that I should know who you are." Tony said as he broke the silence. Mia turned back to look at him. She had almost forgotten he was there. Mia shrugged as she noticed the curious look on his face.

"I wouldn't expect you to, Mr. Stark." Mia said politely and Tony just shook his head.

"Don't call me Mr. Stark. Mr. Stark was my father and he was a cold bastard. I'd like to think I'm different." Tony quipped before continuing to try and figure this woman out. A woman that was quite famous as it would turn out. "So a writer, huh?"

"Something like that." Mia replied as she looked down at her drink.

"What kind of books do you write then? Twilight? Fifty Shades?" Tony inquired, trying to get a reaction out of her.

He wasn't disappointed either as the polite look fell off her face and she gave him a pissed look. Tony wasn't scared though. She was actually kind of cute when she looked mad. Yes…cute. That's what she looked like to him. She was cute which Tony didn't think a grown woman could be. Mia even reminded him of Snow White with that innocent, wide eyed look she had about her. Snow White was who she reminded him of earlier, he realized.

"You have no idea how insulting that is to a writer like me, _Mr. Stark._ " Mia told him as she tried to be intimidating but miserably failed. She knew she was probably the least intimidating person he had ever met.

"That's like me asking if your work bares any similarity to Justin Hammer." She told him pointedly. The amused look quickly fell off Tony's face and was replaced with an annoyed one.

"Hey, don't ever say-" Tony started to say but fell short when he saw the small smirk on the brunette's face. He was left a little surprised that she could be that quick and witty despite her polite and kind exterior. Maybe she was like Snow White if Snow White was also surprisingly witty and quick with a comeback.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Mr. Stark. Good luck at the auction." Mia said as she politely bid him goodbye before taking her drink and leaving the bar without another glance in Tony's direction. Tony watched her leave in intrigue, still not having a clue as to who the woman named Mia really was.

A writer?

An adorable brunette in an exquisite dress?

Tony really didn't know. She seemed to possess the wide eyed innocence of Snow White but the mysteriousness of Cinderella. Tony just needed a glass slipper to throw this whole thing together and find out who "Mia the Writer" actually was. Wow…Tony was only now realizing how much he apparently knew about Disney princesses. He spent way too much time with the nanny growing up.

This was just sad.

* * *

The story behind the auction was that some rich old man had died and left his possessions to be auctioned off in the name of charity. Mia could tell that his family members didn't seem that thrilled since they had sour looks on their faces during the auction. She sat next to an old couple towards the front of the room as she did what was requested of her and represented Random House Publishing in the auction. She had already won the bid on the first edition of _Jane Eyre_ by Charlotte Bronte and the first edition of _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ by Truman Capote but there was an Ernest Hemingway novel that the publishing company wanted her to bid on as well.

"Autographed first edition and first issue of _A Farewell to Arms_ by Ernest Hemingway." The auctioneer announced as Mia leaned forward in her seat in anticipation. A part of Mia really wished that she could nab the book for herself since _A Farewell to Arms_ was her favorite novel. However, Mia was supposed to bid on it for Random House and not herself. Mia also doubted she could ever afford an autographed first edition copy of an Ernest Hemingway novel. She'd have to turn into Ernest Hemingway himself just to afford something like that.

"Excellent condition and a favorite of the late Mr. Robert Daniels." The auctioneer continued to say as Mia paid close attention. "Bidding will start at ten thousand dollars." Mia as well as numerous other people in the room raised their paddles in the air.

"Eleven thousand." The man said but everyone's hands remained firm in the air. In fact, no one's hands really seemed to go down until they reached the twenty thousand dollar mark. Mia had a specific budget set for the auction. She wasn't to spend anything more than forty thousand dollars. Mia had already spent about seven thousand on the _Jane Eyre_ novel and the rest on the _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ one so that left about thirty thousand for the autographed Ernest Hemingway novel. Mia knew how bad Random House wanted those books so that they could display them in the lobby of their building.

"Twenty five thousand." The auctioneer said and Mia's hand remained in the air. She was confident that she was about to win the bid. Everyone else seemed to be backing down at this point. She didn't understand why. An autographed first edition of an Ernest Hemingway novel was worth far more than twenty five thousand dollars. Mia personally thought it was priceless.

"Well, it seems like we have a new bidder. Twenty six thousand." The auctioneer announced and a confused look came over Mia's face at this.

New bidder?

Mia immediately craned her neck around to see who this new bidder was. However, a look of disbelief crossed her face as she spotted none other than Tony Stark with his paddle in the air and a smug look on his face. Mia swallowed hard as she then turned back around to face the front of the room.

Was he seriously bidding on an Ernest Hemingway novel? Mia honestly doubted Tony Stark was a fan of Ernest Hemingway's work. She couldn't exactly picture him sitting there by the fire reading an Ernest Hemingway novel. Damn it. Now she was picturing him as Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre…sitting there by the fire in an armchair while reading a book. Mr. Rochester who was basically Mia's number one literary crush. No, she refused to think of Tony Stark as Mr. Rochester. Michael Fassbender should be the only one who came to mind when she thought of Mr. Rochester.

"Twenty seven thousand." The auctioneer said loudly yet Mia refused to yield yet it seemed like Tony Stark refused to yield as well. She could hear hush whispering around the room as people gossiped about Tony Stark bidding on an Ernest Hemingway novel. They seemed curious for his reasoning but Mia didn't think he had a clear reason. She didn't want to assume this was about her but she had a feeling he was getting her back for that offhanded comment she made about him and Justin Hammer. Although…she felt like bidding tens of thousands of dollars was a little extreme but he was Tony Stark. He seemed to have a flare for the dramatics.

"Twenty eight thousand."

"Let's double it! Sixty thousand!" Tony Stark called out and there was a collective array of gasps around the room. Mia looked back at him, her eyes wide with disbelief but he looked just as smug as ever. The auctioneer laughed nervously.

"I'm afraid the auction doesn't work like that, Mr. Stark." The auctioneer informed the billionaire, not bothering to refer to him by his assigned number for the auction. Everyone knew who Tony Stark was anyways.

"Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars for Mr. Hemingway's autographed novel." Tony said arrogantly and more people gasped. Even Mia was shocked as she looked at the very confident look on his face. The auctioneer seemed a bit speechless as his mouth opened and closed several times before he finally found it within himself to speak.

"I-I uh…Miss? Do you wish to challenge Mr. Stark's bid?" The auctioneer said as he finally gathered his bearings and looked at Mia. The brunette clenched her jaw as she tore her gaze away from the arrogant billionaire. She shook her head as she quietly put her hand down.

"Then the autographed first edition and first issue of Ernest Hemingway's _A Farewell to Arms_ goes to Mr. Stark for…two hundred and fifty thousand dollars." The auctioneer finally said, seemingly in disbelief over the fact that someone had paid two hundred and fifty thousand dollars for a novel that was worth less in his opinion. Ernest Hemingway or not.

Numerous people in the room whispered quietly to each other as they tried to find a reason as to why Tony Stark would bid on an Ernest Hemingway novel. He usually didn't bid on anything at these events. He just donated a large amount of money then left.

Mia was just disappointed that she hadn't been able to get the novel for Random House like she was supposed to. At least she managed to _Jane Eyre_ and _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ although they weren't autographed like _A Farewell to Arms_ was. Random House was just going to have to be happy with what they got. Especially since Mia hadn't even wanted to come here in the first place.

The auctioneer then moved on to another item of Mr. Daniels as he announced the starting bid for that item. Everyone's attention moved away from Tony Stark as they focused on a painting up for auction. Except for Mia. The small brunette turned around to look at Tony questioningly and the billionaire only smirked arrogantly at her before waving. Mia just rolled her eyes and turned back around.

Rich people were a pain in the ass.


	5. Chapter Four

**Author's Note: Okay so the stuff that happens during Mia's perspective of the chapter I can't take all the credit for(you'll know what I mean when you read it). I was a little bit inspired by this interview I saw on Conan with Brittany Snow which made me laugh so hard I cried. I'm just sorry I did that to Mia but I decided to lighten this chapter up a bit because there's some truly depressing moments in it towards the end.**

 **Tony and Mia won't see each other again for a couple chapters. I just thought I'd let you guys know.**

 **Another random account: Well, I had already written four chapters before publishing this and I wanted to catch it up to the point where Mia meets Tony. I didn't want to make everyone wait since I know the story starts off a bit slow.**

 **In all honesty, I'm short too. I'm a little bit taller than Mia with being 5'3 but I'm still short.**

 **I love Tony Stark too! I know a lot of people who read my other 'Some Things Never Sleep' thought I hated him because my character was harsh on him for a while but I was trying to write that from her perspective and not my own. I love Tony, his amazing sarcasm, constant rambling, and many mistakes. I think he was probably the most human out of all the Avengers because of that. Obviously, he is a human but you know what I mean.**

 **Athena05: Pepperony will unfortunately not be a part of the story. Don't get me wrong. I love Pepper and Tony together but I also love creating OCs. I like seeing different pairings than what we would see in the usual MCU. Pepper will show up a couple times within the story but probably not for a while. She'll be mentioned a lot though.**

 **Although Pepperony is one of my top favorite pairings in the MCU, I have to say Steggy is my number one favorite. I love Peggy Carter so much and it breaks my heart that her and Steve can never be. I also really love whatever ship name Peter Quill and Gamora have.**

 **nathan19bane and Purplestan: Yes, it's very frustrating but I just need a tiny break to get myself back into it. I'm not quitting the story but I need some time away from it because it's really annoying writing 6,000 words and then having them be deleted. In a couple weeks I'll probably miss writing it enough to go back to it and finally get back into the story and the characters. I'm just super frustrated right now and that's not the right mind space to have about a story I care so passionately about. I don't want my feelings to affect the story. I just feel like I would half ass the story right now and I don't want that but...The Viper Assassin will return.**

 **readeratheart8128: I'm glad you like the story so much already! I wanted to make Mia and Tony have an instant connection in their first meeting but I also didn't want it to be love at first sight because I hate those kinds of stories.**

 **This is going to be a slow burn although it won't be as slow burn as my other story 'Some Things Never Sleep' because I don't think anything ever could be that much of a slow burn. Mia's obviously dealing with her grief over losing her husband and loneliness so this story's going to center around her moving on from Michael and figuring things out about herself. It's not just blind romance between her and Tony.**

 **Mia and Tony definitely had a connection at the charity auction and they're attracted to each other on some level but it's not like they're in love or anything. It's the equivalent in real life of meeting someone you enjoyed talking with and felt attracted to. It's just a connection right now in the story. But to answer your question...yes, it's a slow burn but not as much as STNS.**

 **The Tony Stark/OC fanfic I was talking about is called 'Providence Of The Universe' by toniestark. It's an extreme slow burn too but I can't wait for the author to update. She's a really good writer. It's because of her that I decided to finally publish this story on here because she mentioned that Tony doesn't get enough love and I realized that she was right. That and I'm also taking a small break from STNS because I'm really obsessed with the concept of this story and 'Sweet Dreams' right now.**

 ** **I ramble way too much as well as I'm sure you can tell.****

 **Thanks to .2018 and otherworlder81 for their reviews as well. Thanks for all the favorites/follows and let me know what you think of chapter. Please? Not to sound desperate or anything...**

* * *

For the past few days Tony Stark had been able to think of little else other than the mysterious "Mia the Writer". That's what he called her in his head for those few days. Truthfully, the thought of the brunette he met at the charity auction had been a welcomed distraction. It's not like he did much else with his time other than working in the lab or keeping an eye on the kid. Some weekends he drove up to the compound to visit Rhodey and Vision but he was told he wasn't all that pleasant to be around.

Not since Siberia.

However, he wasn't thinking of Siberia as often as he normally did. Not when his mind was preoccupied by the woman at the auction. He wasn't sure why. "Mia the Writer" didn't seem to be his usual type but there was something about her that was alluring. He didn't know if it was the whole cute and innocent Snow White vibe he got from her or if it was how she didn't seem to have an opinion when it came to him.

Most people either sucked up to him or glared hatefully at him in Tony's experience but this woman did neither. She just talked to him like she didn't know anything about him but he knew she was aware of who he was. Everyone was.

Tony had only spoken to her for fifteen minutes but a part of him wished that he spoken more to her before she left with her drink. He cursed himself for scaring her off with his stupid comment about _Twilight_ and _Fifty Shades of Grey_. Tony wondered why he wasn't good at talking to women anymore. Maybe it was because the women he seemed to be interested in these days weren't the usual women he had used as arm candy back in the day. He had grown tired of those women which was why he had dated Pepper in the first place. Pepper who had been his best friend…yet it hadn't worked out like he thought it would.

Things with him and Pepper didn't end badly. It didn't end with some huge fight or an affair. Pepper just told him that she didn't think he was ready for that kind of commitment yet but she was so they had broken up and decided to remain friends. Tony realized now that he wasn't a good partner for Pepper.

She was right.

He spent way too much time on his suits and the Avengers instead of being what she needed. Tony knew this now but it was too late. Pepper had already fallen out of love with him and with both time and distance Tony knew he felt the same way. Maybe they were better off as friends, after all.

Tony wasn't sure.

However, the woman from the other night was the first one in a while that had seemed to capture his interest. Tony wasn't talking about in a sexual way either. After the break-up he went on a rebound sex and drinking bender. Anything to make him forget about the pain of his and Pepper's break-up. It had worked for a while but after a couple weeks he stopped resorting to his old playboy ways and went back to his work. Meaningless sex wasn't going to solve all his problems and neither would alcohol.

"Friday, can you look someone up for me?" Tony asked his AI system as he sat alone in his lab within the now mostly vacant Avengers' tower. It used to be his and Bruce's lab but Bruce was gone too which made Tony feel even more miserable. At least if Bruce was here then he'd have someone to talk to even if it wasn't about personal matters. Not to mention he'd be able to get a lot more work done.

"Yes, sir. Who are you trying to locate?" Friday inquired. Tony had spent a lot of time wondering whether or not he should actually look the woman named Mia up. He could've done it sooner but he was still conflicted whether or not he should take that step. To most it might not have seemed like a big deal but it was to Tony. Tony knew he didn't just want to look her up because he was only interested in reading the novels she had apparently written. He was a little more curious than that.

"Not really locate so much as to satisfy my own curiosity." Tony explained nonchalantly although his curiosity was a little more serious than that.

"Of course, Mr. Stark. Who are you looking for?" Friday asked him and Tony sighed.

"Well, you see…I kind of only have a first name which I'm almost sure is a nickname. Mia." Tony informed the AI system as he lounged in his seat in the lab. "She wasn't very forthcoming with personal info. We met at the charity auction I went to a few days ago."

"I am now searching security footage from the Park Hyatt New York Hotel." Friday informed him as security footage and images flashed up on Tony's holographic screen from that night at the auction. The Ernest Hemingway novel he bought for a quarter of a million dollars was still sitting somewhere under all the heaps of plates of food that littered his work area in the lab. Probably not the most suitable place for a priceless novel but he was glad he bought it. The pissed expression on Mia's face had been worth it.

It was a short minute before Tony spotted the face he was looking for amongst all the footage Friday was going through from that night. He spotted her sitting at a table filled with journalists. Tony would recognize her face anywhere. He had spent a lot of time thinking about her these past few days, after all. Tony paused as he zoomed in on the footage of her at the table.

"That's her." Tony said quietly as he looked over her delicate and almost pixie-like features. _Snow White_ , he reminded himself. That's who she looked like to Tony with her innocent looking blue eyes and youthful face which probably made her look a lot younger than she was. Tony originally thought she was twenty or twenty one but the fact that she was an accomplished writer made him think that she might've been older than that.

"Amelia Natalie McCallum." Friday said as the AI system quickly analyzed the image of the brunette before pulling up articles about her from the internet. There was a lot of articles too since it was starting to become clear to Tony that she was a well-known writer. "Novelist and former Freelance Writer."

Tony spotted her Wikipedia page, reviews about her books, pictures of her from literary award ceremonies, and clips of her from a book tour she did for one of her novels. Tony also raised an eyebrow in amusement when he saw a couple talk show interviews on YouTube that she did on shows like _The Late Late Show with James Corden_ and _The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon_. This girl seemed to be in a lot of places as it would turn out.

"Born March 2nd, 1987 in Portland, Maine." Friday told him and Tony was a bit surprised to hear that she was almost thirty. So a lot older than he actually thought then. That made sense since she was apparently an accomplished author.

"Graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in English Literature." Friday continued to inform Tony as the billionaire went through images of her via google images. "From 2010-2012 she worked as a freelance writer for Cosmopolitan magazine after interning for Cosmopolitan UK in London during her summer vacations from university."

 _Cosmopolitan_ , Tony thought to himself. Wow…he really didn't picture little Snow White writing articles about different sex positions to spice up the love life. He didn't get that impression from her when they met the other night _. It's always cute shy ones_ , Tony determined as he continued to scroll through the different articles on the internet about his little writer.

He then decided calling Mia "his little writer" was a little creepy. While she wasn't as young as he thought, he still knew she was seventeen years his junior and he didn't want to be the old perverted billionaire who lusted after a woman that much younger than himself. Not that he was lusting after Snow White or anything.

He was just _curious_.

"Mrs. McCallum also goes under the pen name A.N. Kazan." Friday told a distracted Tony. "Author of _The Brilliant Stupor of Madeline Adams_ , winner of the 2012 National Book award for fiction as well as numerous other accolades, and _Upon the Moors We Go_ which has also received numerous awards and critical acclaim."

"So she's a really big deal in the writing community, huh?" Tony said as he took all that in. He didn't really know how important that meant she was in literary fiction. Novels weren't really Tony's forte. He couldn't remember the last time he actually read a novel. College, right? But only because it was required for the English class he was forced to take. Tony thought he might've read a George Orwell novel in college but he couldn't be sure. It had been a long time, almost thirty years ago, and Tony usually only kept information he deemed important inside his head. He tossed everything else out.

It was only then, however, that he realized what Friday had just told him. He wasn't talking about all the critical acclaim Mia had gotten for her writing either. Tony was talking about the thing Friday said before she said everything else. Tony's eyes widened as he looked at the screen in disbelief.

"Wait, wait…back this thing up. What were you saying before you were talking about the book award thing?" Tony said, extremely taken by surprise.

"You mean the National Book Award for Fiction." Friday corrected and Tony just shook his head. "A very prestigious award."

"No, I'm talking about the thing before that. You said _Mrs._ McCallum." Tony said in surprise.

"Yes, Mrs. McCallum(nee Kazan) was married from 2008-2013 to Michael David Timothy McCallum born September 26th, 1983 in Edinburgh, Scotland." Friday told a stunned Tony who hadn't expected to hear that Mia was married.

Tony hadn't seen a ring on her finger at the charity auction but then again he wasn't really looking at her hands. He didn't remember seeing a husband glaring daggers at him for talking to his wife either. Tony knew that look better than anyone else.

"From 2008 to 2013? Meaning that Snow White's divorced?" Tony inquired curiously, not thinking much of it but also frowning a little bit at the feeling of relief that come over him that she wasn't married anymore. Why should he feel relieved? It's not like he was _that_ curious…or was he?

"Mrs. McCallum's husband died on April 19th, 2013 in a rock climbing accident." Friday informed Tony who suddenly felt like a dick for feeling relieved that Mia wasn't married anymore.

A dead husband?

Well, Tony certainly wasn't expecting that. It was a little bit crazy to think that Mia was a widow. She was only twenty nine for God's sake but he supposed that no one really wanted to be a widow. It's not a life choice people picked. Unless they were trying to kill their spouse for life insurance but Snow White seemed nice. She didn't seem the type to murder her husband for life insurance. Tony knew the type and she sure as hell wasn't it. He had only spoken to her for fifteen minutes but he knew that much about her.

Tony skimmed the articles about her husband's death and spotted a few pictures of the happy young couple together. Her husband was not too bad looking of a guy. Okay...so the guy was pretty good looking, actually, although Tony always figured girls had a thing for an accent.

 _Scottish_ , Tony thought to himself as he continued to look through the pictures of them. Despite Tony's curiosity, a certain sadness and sympathy filled him at the pictures of the happy couple. Not just because it was a horrible accident that took the life of a man but because Mia was too young to go through loss like that. Not that Tony knew anything about losing a spouse, or even the fact that he knew Mia on a personal level, but he still knew a thing or two about loss.

Tony didn't really look at the details of the accident as he continued to look through images of the brunette. Most of the pictures were taken before her husband's death. That much was obvious because she looked much happier in those pictures than the ones taken after. There was a certain sparkle in her blue eyes that seemed to make her entire face light up as she smiled. She looked incredibly beautiful, Tony noticed. The pictures taken after her husband's death, however, were a different story. He noticed the sparkle in her eyes had dimmed and her smiles looked more forced and polite than genuine like before.

Tony frowned at the obvious difference.

He seen a little of that happier side of her the other night…when she looked up and saw the Ernest Hemingway novel the auctioneer was holding up. Tony remembered watching the way the smile came across her face as she saw the book. It was interesting to see such a beautiful and youthful face lit up by a book of all things.

He remembered watching her in amusement but also feeling a bit taken back by the beauty and youthfulness of her smile. She completely stood out to him with that smile so he spent the rest of the night watching her. Trying to see if he could catch another smile that made her practically glow with happiness. But he didn't. In fact, he never saw the smile again which seemed to disappoint him for some odd reason..

Tony then grabbed the book abruptly from under the pile of plates as he finally tore his gaze away from the screen and forced the thoughts of her smile out of his head.

It was a ratty old looking book. The book certainly didn't look like anything special but he could tell that it was to Mia. The mysterious brunette who he still didn't really even know. Tony had just spent the past hour searching the internet for facts about her but it still wasn't enough for him to truly even begin to know her.

It was all so strange.

Fifteen minutes at a party and he was almost hooked on her. Tony didn't know what it was about her that captured his attention. It wasn't just the funny way they bantered back and forth or even the mysteriousness she seemed to encompass. Her quick and witty comebacks were cute and entertaining but it wasn't just what she said. It was the _way_ she said it. There was no flirtation behind her words or false pretenses. She just talked to him in a way that hadn't made him feel so alone for those fleeting fifteen minutes.

Which was why he was disappointed when she walked away.

Tony completely turned away from the screen, looking away from his light internet stalking of Mia McCallum. It suddenly felt wrong to look through her life like this which was odd since that sort of thing never bothered him before. He usually didn't care about invading people's privacy but something definitely felt wrong about this. Tony felt like he had seen something he wasn't supposed to.

His fingers traced the edge of the book, skimming the binding as he felt the rough, course surface of the aged novel. A small hint of a smile crossed Tony's face as he looked down at the novel and analyzed the cover art. It was vintage looking which more than likely made sense since it was published in the late 1920s. The cover depicted an illustration of a nude woman with angel wings and a man lying beside her. It was a beautiful illustration which was rare for Tony to say since he wasn't known to be a fan of art. There was just something about it that looked different Tony and he liked that. He just didn't know if he was admiring it because he liked it or if it was because the book was obviously held in high regard by Mia McCallum. Tony wasn't sure but he found himself drawn to the book either way.

Tony nodded to himself as he decided to do with the book what he originally intended when he won the bid on it. It was never Tony's intention to keep the novel. He knew that he could never appreciate it and he'd probably never understand it either. However, he knew someone who could.

He knew that much.

* * *

"You know something funny?" Mia's date asked her as they had dinner at a restaurant not far from Mia's apartment. It was one of those hipster fusion kinds of places with a weird theme. A place that Mia normally wouldn't be caught dead in but her date insisted. He was hot in a Channing Tatum sort of way although the beanie he wore on his head kind of killed the instant attraction she felt for him.

Seriously?

A beanie?

He was _thirty two_ and _still_ wore a beanie? And on a _date_? Mia was starting to wonder what she was getting herself into.

It had been a few days since the charity auction and Mia was glad that whole fiasco was over. She was still a little freaked out that she had talked to Tony Stark for as long as she had but she was also kind of pissed at him for outbidding her on a book he probably never read and also won't ever read. She did enjoy their banter at the party and she definitely didn't think he was rude or an asshole like people made him out to be. Eccentric, maybe, but not rude.

Granted, he was still really annoying and arrogant.

The stupid smug look on his face still remained locked inside her mind much to her annoyance. _Stupid rich guys with their constant need to throw their money around and show off_ , Mia thought to herself bitterly. _Seriously. It was like buying that Hemingway novel was some kind of way for him to tell her, "Look at me! I'm Tony Money Bags Stark and I can buy whatever I want because I'm the richest man ever and you're a mere peasant._ Mia didn't appreciate the fact that he threw his money around like it was nothing. She knew he was still donating to charity but deep down Mia also knew that he did it to prove some kind of point to her. Mia had no idea what point he was trying to prove but she was sure he playing some kind of power game.

"No. What?" Mia said, politely playing along with whatever direction this conversation was taking. Mia forced herself to think of anything other than the eccentric billionaire. It was unlikely that she would ever see him again anyways and Mia also didn't want to give herself a headache from trying to decipher what went on inside his mind.

Besides…she had only been on this date for the past half an hour so it was probably best she focus on the guy she was here with and not Tony Stark. Although, Mia was already starting to regret going on this date in the first place. Her date had already free styled rapped to her which was truly embarrassing although _he_ didn't seem embarrassed at all.

Mia still had hope though.

Maybe this guy was just a little bit quirky. Mia could deal with quirky. She was kind of quirky too, after all. However, it seemed like Mia spoke too soon as the date began to take a turn for the worse…if it hadn't already taken a turn for the worse. Mia just meant that the real terrible stuff started happening.

"When I was in my early twenties I almost always thought it was important to be with someone hot and sexy. You know…someone with a huge rack and nice ass but still skinny and tall." The Channing Tatum look alike told her while Mia just sat there with an unsettling feeling…like she knew this was about to go very, _very_ wrong. "Someone like a Victoria Secret model or Margot Robbie. You know what I mean?"

"Um…yeah." Mia said slowly but it was then that the Channing Tatum look alike gave her a sincere look as if he were about to make a romantic declaration in a movie.

"But now that I'm in my thirties I realize that personality is way more important than looks." Channing Tatum look alike told her as he grinned. "Like you for instance. We haven't been on this date long but I can already tell that your personality is worth _way_ more than your looks…and that's what's hot and sexy about you. Not your looks, _obviously_ , but your personality."

"Thank you…" Mia trailed off awkwardly, feeling thoroughly offended by this. The worst part was that she could tell the Channing Tatum look alike thought he was giving her a compliment when he told her that. It would've been better if he was trying to insult her.

"Don't mention it." He told her happily before he took a bite of his food.

"So, Dylan…you said you were a DJ?" Mia said as she tried to change the subject. She plastered a fake smile on her face, trying to pretend like she didn't want to run away with all her might.

"I know my Tinder profile says Dylan and all, because I have to put my "real" name on it." Dylan said as he rolled his eyes and actually used finger quotations around the word "real".

"But I actually prefer to be called Ya Boi." He finished as he looked at her seriously and Mia stared at him in disbelief.

"Um…excuse me?" She said, thinking she had heard him wrong but he looked as serious as ever.

"Ya Boi is my DJ name but I actually prefer it to my real one." He explained like he was telling Mia about his retirement plan which Mia highly doubted he even had or knew of. "So you can just call me Ya Boi, Grrrrl."

"Ya Boi…" Mia said as she nodded to herself. She wasn't even going to acknowledge the fact that he called her "Grrrrl". She just couldn't deal with that on top of… "Ya Boi". It was too much.

Ya Boi.

This was what Mia had to deal with now. Guys who called themselves "Ya Boi". Not boy with a "y". No. Boy with an _"I"_. God…how did Mia even get here? She went from being happily married to going on dates with guys from Tinder who liked calling themselves "Ya Boi". Whose "boi" was he anyways? Because he certainly wasn't Mia's "boi".

Had her life really gone this downhill?

Mia then decided that there was no way this date could turn around. There was no possible outcome where she might fall in love with this guy. It was really just hopeless at this point. Mia was going to have to do something she never wanted to do. She was going to have to quickly exit the date because she didn't think she could stand to be in this restaurant with a guy called "Ya Boi" for one more minute. Mia knew it was rude and terrible of her to ditch someone on a first date but she had been through too much shit to care anymore.

"Oh my god!" Mia said as she looked down at her phone, pretending to see an alarming message. Dylan, or Ya Boi, frowned.

"What is it?" He asked her in concern. Mia feigned a worried look as she looked back over at him. It looked like she was going to have to put that drama class from high school to use right now if she wanted to make it out of here without "Ya Boi" as her boyfriend.

"That was my friend. She's dog sitting my dog right now and apparently he just swallowed a fork." Mia said quickly and Dylan gave her a confused look.

"A fork? Is that even possible?" Dylan questioned and Mia shook her head. God, why did this guy seem to pay attention to details? That was literally the last thing she needed right now.

"I don't know! He's a dog! Dogs are crafty creatures!" Mia said, pretending to be in a panic as she tried to make him forget about how a dog could swallow a fork. How was she supposed to know if a dog could swallow a fork? Mia didn't have a dog. "She's taking him to the Pet ER. She says he's in a lot of pain…he needs me."

"Really?" Dylan said softly as tears filled his eyes at the thought of a puppy in pain. Mia nodded.

"Yes." Mia confirmed.

"Do you need to go?" He asked her and Mia pretended to be conflicted.

"I'm really enjoying this date and everything but little…" Mia trailed off for a second as she tried to think of a name for her imaginary dog. She suddenly remembered Anna Faris's son on the sitcom _Mom_ and how she always thought the kid had a dog's name.

"But little uh… _Roscoe_ really needs me right now. He's suffering and probably doing that thing he does whenever he needs me." Mia said as she tried to appear upset to Dylan to make herself believable. This was a way better option than telling Dylan that she just didn't like him or see this date going anywhere. And yes…Mia knew fully well that she was a chicken. "Roscoe makes this little yelping sound like he's in pain…like he's crying for his mommy. It's so heartbreaking to hear. My poor little puppy in pain."

"No, you should totally go." Dylan told her and Mia shook her head, pretending that she didn't want to leave.

"I couldn't just ditch you. That would be terrible of me." Mia said. It's really a wonder how she passed that drama class in high school because she was a terrible actress. However, Dylan seemed to buy it as he gave her a serious look. It was probably the most serious expression she had seen on his face during this entire date.

" _Hey_. Roscoe needs his mom right now." Dylan told her and Mia just looked back at him with an unsure look on her face. "Are you going to let that cute little puppy feel alone in this world? It's bad enough he swallowed a fork. Don't make him go through that shit alone."

"Thank you." Mia told him with a small smile on her face although she might've said it a little too quickly. She hurriedly dug through her wallet and pulled out a hundred dollar bill. Mia didn't want to wait around for the waitress to pick up the check or anything. She just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible.

"The rest of the date is on me. Get dessert or whatever drinks you want." Mia said as she left the money on the table. _Because I really hope I never go out on another date with you again,_ Mia thought to herself.

Mia knew she was probably setting her standards too high at this point but she thought she could do slightly better than a self-employed DJ called Ya Boi who basically told her she was basic looking but had a decent personality. Call Mia picky but she really felt like she, a twenty nine year old widow, could maybe do a tiny bit better. She was hopeful that the world wasn't filled with men who made her feel shitty about herself…that Michael hadn't been the fucking billion dollar lottery of the male population.

Mia kind of wondered if maybe there was such thing as soul mates which were a concept Mia had never believed in. Maybe Michael was "The One" and now that he was dead then that was it. There wasn't another person out there for Mia because she had already found that person and said person had died in a freak accident.

"Aw. That's so nice of you. Thanks." Dylan, AKA Ya Boi, said dumbly. Mia just nodded as the fake smile remained plastered on her face. Dylan was definitely starting to make her believe in the soul mate thing. She was really starting to accept the fact that Michael was it and now Mia was destined for terrible dates with DJs and guys with man buns for the rest of her life.

"Yup." Mia said as she got up from her seat.

"I hope your puppy gets the fork out of his stomach." Dylan told her and Mia just nodded.

"I'm sure little Roscoe will be just fine but I'll be sure to give him your condolences." Mia told Dylan politely.

"I'll text you later." Dylan said and Mia forced herself not to wince because she already knew she wasn't going to text him back. She hated to be a hypocrite and ghost him like what her previous dates did her but Mia was bad at awkward confrontations like that.

"Yes…sure." Mia said awkwardly. _I'm totally going to ghost you now and I'm sorry but you basically told me you were lowering your standards by going on a date with me since I'm not Margot Robbie,_ Mia thought to herself because that was what she wanted to say to him but didn't. _You're also a thirty two year old man who wants to be called "Ya Boi" and who free styled rapped to me for the longest four minutes of my life so…I'm out of here._

"It was nice meeting you…Ya Boi." She said, mentally cringing as she actually uttered the name he insisted on her calling him. Mia gave him one last polite smile before she hurriedly started to make her way out of the restaurant. All the while wondering how the hell Tinder matched her up with _that_ guy out of all the millions of men that were probably on that app. Mia would never understand how Tinder worked.

Mia made a bee-line for the door, wanting to place the awkward date out of her mind for the rest of her life. She never wanted to think back to this night again. The hostess at the front of the restaurant gave Mia a sympathetic look as she exited the establishment. Mia took comfort from the look on the woman's face because it meant that she wasn't the only one who had to use the "injured puppy" excuse on a terrible Tinder date.

Wasn't it sad that a complete stranger knew how she felt from one look?

This was actually a terrible reason for women to come together and relate to each other. They weren't showing sympathy for each other on a grand level...like the gender gap or sexual harassment. No, they were feeling sympathetic to each other on a Tinder date level which was just plain depressing.

Mia just hurried out of the restaurant so she could get home and forget this ever happened. Maybe she would put on _Cupcake Wars_ on Netflix and just unwind, putting this date to the back of her mind before contemplating deleting her Tinder app. Mia knew she wouldn't do it. Her morbid curiosity and loneliness would forever take priority. Mia would just ghost Dylan, AKA Ya Boi, because that seemed to be the common thing to do these days when you went on a bad date and were too afraid to piss someone off.

God…it was moments like these that Mia wished that she could go back in time and still be married to Michael. Well, she always wished that she could go back in time and be married to Michael but the feeling was really overwhelming all of a sudden.

Her family had always asked her why she had gotten married so young, her father in particular, and why she settled down when she had yet to experience all of what the world had to offer her. Truthfully, that had scared Mia because she worried that her and Michael would grow apart as they got older like her parents did. She was afraid they'd become curious about being with other people as they got older but Mia knew those fears were stupid now. There was no way in hell going on dates with random guys on Tinder was better than being married. Mia wanted to tell silly and stupid twenty one year old Mia that she had nothing to worry about because dating in your twenties was a fucking nightmare.

Mia also wished she had told twenty one year old Mia that she should appreciate Michael while she still had him because he wasn't going to be around forever. One day he would be gone and she would be left with no one but herself and all her regrets. Maybe if Mia had only appreciated him more like she should've then he'd still be here. He'd still be alive and they might even have a baby by now.

However, the truth was that Mia had taken him for granted for all those years and now that he was gone she was filled with regret. Mia was almost sure she'd never stop feeling regretful at this point. She had made her mistakes and now she was going to have to live with it for the rest of her life. She was being morbid but honest. There were no such things as do-overs or second chances. You had the one chance and if you blew it then that was it.

What's done is done.


	6. Chapter Five

**Author's Note: So this chapter's really long. It's a flashback chapter so just don't get too excited. I didn't plan on the flashback taking up the whole chapter but it just ended up that way. Usually the flashbacks within this story will be really short and not take up entire chapters like in my other story. It's just that this chapter's super important to me because it gives a glimpse into Mia's past and gives the reader a lot more info about her. I'm not sure when Tony will return. I'm thinking it's most likely going to be in chapter seven but the next chapter will take place in present day.**

 **I also want to add that I changed the appearance of Michael in this story. He had blondish hair and green eyes before but I was watching Matthew Goode in a movie so I started to picture him as Matthew Goode instead. Dark hair and blue eyes. So I'm going back and changing that part of the story.**

 **coffeeandcake: It still might be a while until I update STNS again but I'll try to update this one soon. I'm glad you're enjoying this story too. It's definitely different from my other ones.**

 **Guest: Thank you! This story is definitely going to have it's darker moments and it might get a little bit heavy every now and then but it's still pretty light hearted. My other story is super dark so it's a nice break writing something a bit lighter. I'll do my best to portray Tony in the right way since he's a difficult character to write. I feel like I wrote him better in the past but I just had an Iron Man and Avengers marathon to get a better sense of his character. I also realized that it had been a long time since I had seen all the Iron Man movies.**

 **Gilyflower: Thanks. I know what you mean about some OCs being slightly immature which I feel like is something Tony doesn't need. Mia's a twenty nine year old woman who's been through a lot so she probably even feels older than she really is. It's way different than writing Emma in STNS. Even though Emma likes to think she's really mature, there's a lot of aspects about her that's still childish. Mia's different than that and I think it might be good for Tony.**

 **I also just want to say that I might try to find a way to make Dylan, AKA Ya Boi, appear again at some point in this story. I just really loved writing him so he might make a really funny and short return at some point. He definitely won't be a central character though. Not even a supporting one. But I kind of want him to meet Tony because I just find the prospect of Tony and Dylan/ Ya Boi/ Channing Tatum look alike being in the same room to be hilarious. So be prepared for that.**

 **I also don't own the song 'Hips Don't Lie' which belongs to Shakira. This song is sort of featured in this chapter in a funny way.**

 **Thanks for all the favorites, follows, and reviews last chapter. I really appreciate it, guys. Thanks to Love. Fiction. 2018 for reviewing as well. Please let me know what you think of this chapter.**

* * *

 **2006**

Navigating Edinburgh was nearly impossible. That's the one thing that was on Mia's mind as she hurried to her classes. She technically wasn't staying in a dorm and was instead renting an apartment with a couple of girls in the city which made trying to navigate to the college difficult. Especially since Mia wasn't that familiar with Edinburgh yet. She had only been living in the city for a few months which might've seemed like enough time to learn the innings and outings of a city but Edinburgh was no Portland. Portland which was her hometown.

Despite how large she found Edinburgh to be, she couldn't help but fall in love with the city. While Portland was an old city itself, it had nothing on Edinburgh. Portland, which had only really been around since the late 1700s was considered young in the eyes of Edinburgh. Edinburgh which was a city that was probably around a thousand years old. Mia had never been to such a large and old city. The architecture and sheer beauty of it had transfixed Mia from the moment she got out of the cab.

As a girl who had never left Maine before, except that one trip her and Holly's parents took them to New York City when Mia was seven before the divorce, Mia felt in awe of Edinburgh. Portland wasn't a small city but it was nowhere near as big and beautiful as she thought Edinburgh was. Mia wasn't one to believe in love at first sight but she did when it came to Edinburgh. Mia, to this day, had never fallen in love anything or anyone as fast as she did when she fell in love with Edinburgh.

Her parents had originally questioned her sanity when Mia announced that she had been accepted into the University of Edinburgh. They had been hoping that she would get accepted into somewhere local like the University of Southern Maine or maybe even New York if she had to which wasn't that far away. Her father had wanted her to attend college in Florida, closer to him, but that was the last thing Mia wanted.

She never expected to get accepted into the University of Edinburgh. Mia assumed that she would just attend Bowdoin College, a local Liberal Arts college in Maine, but to her surprise she was then allowed the chance to go to Scotland. She had never been to Scotland in her life. Mia had never even been out of the country before. But Mia knew she wanted more than anything to go to Scotland.

Her parents questioned why she had to pick the furthest college away from them which was a pretty fair question. It wasn't that Mia hated her parents but she just wanted to get away from all the drama. The drama of her father and his much younger wife. The drama of her mother's quiet resentment of the fact that her father was with a younger woman. The drama that went with being the youngest and still having to deal with being a pawn in your parent's fucked up chess game. Mia wanted to get away from it all and finally live the life she wanted to live.

Scotland provided the perfect opportunity yet Mia could never tell her parents that. She didn't want to hurt them by saying that the reason she wanted to go to college in Scotland was to get away from them. She knew she'd be hurting her sister too since Mia also wanted to get away from her as well.

Holly Kazan.

Casco Bay's golden child. Holly really had it all back when they were younger…with her closely watched volleyball career which managed to get her a full ride to NYU. Mia remembered her sister during high school. Holly with all her friends and boyfriends. Holly with her gorgeous strawberry blonde hair, welcoming smile, and her 5'6 height which Mia was always envious of. Holly with her straight A's and all the teacher's admiration.

It wasn't like Holly was this stuck-up bitch Mia despised or anything. Her sister was her best friend and never let Mia feel excluded from anything. Even during those awkward years in high school when most big sisters would ditch their quiet and shy little sister. Holly never for a second left Mia's side. She was the best sister Mia could ever ask for but at the same time Mia hated living in her sister's shadow. She hated people looking at her and being reminded of her sister.

 _"_ _Oh, you're the Kazan girl. You're Holly's little sister!"_

Even when Holly went off to college, people could never forget her. Holly was so special that she always left a trail behind her. People never forgot about the strawberry blonde with the warm and welcoming smile. Holly Kazan was special but Mia Kazan…well, not so much. Mia didn't seem to have the same charismatic personality as her sister nor was she athletic enough to make up for that. People didn't flock towards her and Mia never had all the boyfriends Holly always seemed to have in high school.

Mia lost track of all the boyfriends her sister had and she mostly only met them when they came to pick her and her sister up for school. The handsome lacrosse players or quarterbacks that always drove nice cars their parents bought them. They always had that same goofy smile on their face whenever they looked at her sister and completely ignored Mia…Holly's weird freshman sister who looked like she was eleven.

They'd lean in for a kiss while Mia was forced to sit in the back and stare out the window, listening to Maroon 5 on the MP3 player her dad got her for Christmas. It wasn't so much of a Christmas present but way of saying, _"Sorry that I got a super young wife and have a new family in Florida now."_

As you can see, Mia's life in Maine hadn't been all that great. Constantly having to live in her sister's shadow while going through those awkward high school years had been the worst which was why Mia picked the furthest college she could. Although…she'd never tell Holly that. It was Holly that Mia absolutely refused to hurt. Her parents were one thing but Holly was another.

Those first few months of her parent's divorce had been hard. Mia had been eleven and Holly was fourteen. They both knew it was coming. Their parent's screaming matches had progressively gotten louder and their father kept taking more and more business trips out of town. It was only a matter of time but Mia had still been heartbroken at the news that her parents weren't going to be together anymore. There would be no more Christmases together. No dinners together. And definitely no going to the movies as a family ever again. There would be no more being together. Togetherness was finished.

 _"_ _Why does it have to be this way, Holly? Why can't mom and dad just be happy together? Why does he have to leave?" Mia had asked her sister, tears streaming down her face as she cried into her sister's neck. Holly held her close, rubbing her back soothingly and being the calm, strong sister she always had to be. Holly was the oldest one so even if she was hurting from the divorce too, she hid her pain and stayed strong for Mia._

 _"_ _Sometimes people don't belong together, Amelia." Holly told her softly, using her real name like she always did when she was either comforting or scolding Mia._

 _"_ _How can they not belong together? They're our parents!" Mia cried and Holly just sighed heavily._

 _"_ _I know they are but they're not happy anymore." Holly tried to explain to the emotional eleven year old who was just too young to understand the actions of adults. "You don't want them fighting anymore, do you? You want them to be happy, right?"_

 _"_ _I guess so." Mia said quietly as she sniffled. Holly then pulled away to look down at her, locking her deep blue eyes with Mia's identical ones._

 _"_ _Then it has to be this way, Amelia." Holly told her._

 _"_ _Does this mean they don't love us anymore?" Mia asked her in a small voice. Holly just gave her a sad look as she shook her head._

 _"_ _Of course not. They'll always love us." Holly told her softly, sincerity in her eyes. "We don't have anything to do with it. They're just two people who don't belong together but that doesn't mean they'll stop loving us."_

 _"_ _I guess I can understand that." Mia said reluctantly and Holly just smiled at her._

 _"_ _Hey, even though mom and dad aren't together anymore, that doesn't mean that you'll have to be alone." Holly told her seriously as Mia looked back up at her. "We'll always have each other. No matter what."_

 _"_ _You mean that?" Mia asked shyly and Holly nodded._

 _"_ _I promise." Holly stared before she wrapped her arms around Mia again, pulling her in for another comforting hug. Mia just relaxed against her sister and took comfort in the fact that, while her parents we're falling apart, her sister and her were stronger than ever. Nothing could take Holly away from her. They were sisters for life both in blood and in friendship._

This was why Mia couldn't simply tell her sister that she went to Scotland for some much needed space. It was because her sister meant so much to her and Mia didn't want to hurt her feelings. Mia just wanted to go somewhere where she wasn't Holly Kazan's little sister and she was just…Mia. Where she was just her own person and a place where no one knew who Holly Kazan was. Mia just wanted to be Mia for the first time in her life. No family drama and Edinburgh offered her that kind of sanctuary.

For that Mia would forever be grateful.

"Mia, it's just up here. Just a little more walking distance…nothing to be overdramatic about." Emily, one of Mia's roommates but also a friend, told her. Emily was the same age as Mia but she was also a lot taller than Mia. She was also a lot more funny and charismatic than Mia was which was evident by the number of friends that the girl had. Emily almost reminded Mia of Holly in a way. She seemed to share the same lively and upbeat personality that her sister had.

"I'm not being overdramatic. This is just a big city and sometimes I get overwhelmed." Mia hastily explained while the English girl just laughed at her.

"It's not that big. You should see London." Emily told her and Mia tried not to get excited over the prospect of going to London. The brunette had just applied for a summer internship at _Cosmopolitan UK_ which was based in London. Mia knew that Cosmopolitan was kind of lame and stupid with all their articles about sex positions and celebrity gossip but it was still a foot in the door to the world of writing. If Mia managed to get this internship then she could start making connections and maybe even getting recommendations. It was something to help her on her journey in becoming a novelist.

Mia knew it was a long shot even getting the spot at Cosmopolitan. She always imagined tall, blonde model types working at Cosmopolitan which was the exact opposite of Mia but she hoped the essay she submitted spoke for itself. There were other internships she applied for but Cosmopolitan was the big one.

There wasn't much of a chance of her getting the internship but Emily still offered her a place to stay at her aunt's house in London. Apparently Emily's aunt was staying in Greece for the summer. Emily was going to London anyways to party or do whatever it was that Emily did. Mia didn't know. Emily was kind of a party girl, even more so than Holly, while Mia was much more comfortable staying inside and snuggling up with a good book. Something that made Emily roll her eyes and make fun of her for not being the loud, obnoxious American girl stereotype who partied all night and slept all day. Mia was sorry to disappoint.

"I'd really love to see London." Mia told her. She had technically been in London when she landed at Heathrow but it was only for an hour before she caught a flight to Glasgow. Mia hadn't really seen the city at all. Only in movies and on TV.

"You'd really love it. They have some amazing clubs. Much better than here anyways." Emily said as she practically pouted at the fact that Edinburgh didn't seem to have any of the clubs like the ones she missed from London. Mia supposed it was just the party girl in her.

That was another thing Mia loved about Emily. She loved how cultured the girl was despite her young age. Although Mia thought that might've had to do with the fact that Emily was, in fact, Emily Margaret Imogen Blackstone of Beaumont Hall. Mia was pretty sure that Emily was the daughter of a lord or something but she never understood all those British titles to begin with. All Mia knew was that Emily came from a very wealthy and old British family who were distantly, _very_ distantly, related to the British Royal family. Even so, Emily still insisted on calling Prince Harry "Cousin Harry" whenever they saw a tabloid magazine displaying him and his partying ways. Mia doubted that Emily had even met him much less seen him in real life.

Emily was a little bit spoiled which was something Mia had first noticed not long after they met. She kind of thought the reason Emily's parents sent her to school in Edinburgh was so that she wouldn't be able to get up to her usual antics in London. Which was why they only gave the girl a small allowance just so she could afford a place with cheap rent and dinner on the weekends. It was still way more money than what Mia had gotten from her parents which was nothing. The petite brunette resorted to getting a job at a local bookstore in the city to pay for all her expenses.

"But what else do they have? I mean, the museums must be amazing. I can't imagine all the stuff they have in them over there." Mia said in wonder because she knew whatever London had in their museums would be a lot more interesting than boring ole' Maine.

The museums in Maine had been so boring which was why as soon as Mia got a chance, she visited all the museums Edinburgh had to offer. She particularly enjoyed the Writer's Museum in Edinburgh which had a lot of the possessions of Scottish writers like Robert Burns, Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson. Although Mia thought the fact that the museum displayed a lock of hair from one of the writers was a little bit creepy. Just a little.

"You're very boring, you know that? What nineteen year old girl gets excited by a place filled with artifacts belonging to a bunch of dead people?" Emily said as she shook her head at the brunette. "Talk about being morbid."

"You don't get it." Mia told her, defending her nerdiness. "You're actually from here. This stuff probably bores you to death but I happen to find it interesting. There are graves here that are older than the city that I'm from. You know how crazy that is?"

"Oh god, Amelia, were you hanging out in that dodgy graveyard again? You really are the most morbid girl I've ever met." The English girl told her and Mia rolled her eyes.

"Now who's being overdramatic?" Mia said before she started to talk about the graveyard excitedly…like it was some sort of amusement park or something. "And it's not just any old graveyard. It's Greyfriars Kirkyard." Emily raised an eyebrow.

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" Emily asked her and Mia nodded furiously.

"It's only the most haunted graveyard in the whole entire world." Mia told her.

"And that makes you want to go there?" Emily retorted but Mia just went on.

"It's also where J.K. Rowling came up with a bunch of names for the characters in Harry Potter." Mia pointed out and Emily rolled her eyes.

"You don't actually believe that rubbish, do you? That's only a bunch of crap those tour guides tell stupid Americans like yourself so you'll give them more money." Emily told her but Mia didn't want to believe it. "J.K. Rowling probably never even set foot in that graveyard. The only crazy person who would go there for fun is you."

"Well, I totally think J.K. Rowling _would_ set foot in a graveyard if she were trying to brainstorm names for a book." Mia said, sounding very confident. "As a writer I can see why she would do that. Of course, I wouldn't expect _you_ to understand. A _philosophy_ major."

"Oh, so you're J.K. Rowling now? I didn't realize." Emily said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes at the American girl. She wasn't offended by the comment about majoring in philosophy. Honestly, Emily was just going to school to keep her parents happy. She didn't really care what she majored in.

"I'm not saying I'm J.K. Rowling. I'm just saying that I can understand her motivation as a writer." Mia said defensively and Emily scoffed.

"Yes. Well, never mind." Emily said as they finally reached their destination. "Here we are."

"The Rose Petal Inn?" Mia said questioningly as she looked at the old looking pub on the quiet, nearly empty street. Well, almost all the pubs looked old in Edinburgh since the city was old itself. There were a couple people walking the street this late but not many. Just a couple guys holding up their wasted friend as he slurred his words and blood dripped from his hands.

Mia could never understand the Scottish. They were probably the craziest people she had ever seen. They would walk out of pubs with bloody wounds but they didn't act like it bothered them. It was actually quite the opposite. They just went along their merry way without a care in the world and Mia was drawn to that. She doubted every Scot was like that but she had seen a fair few that seemed that way.

"Yes." Emily confirmed and Mia gave her an unsure look.

"It doesn't really seem like a really… _Scottish_ place." Mia said, referring to the delicate sounding name of the pub. Emily shrugged.

"What did you expect, Amelia? Honestly. Did you expect every Scottish pub to be called Babbity Bowster or Cock and Bull?" Emily questioned and Mia just shook her head.

"I don't know." She muttered. Emily just laughed at her before grabbing her around the wrist.

"Come on. Let's hurry up and get inside." Emily said as she practically dragged Mia inside the vicinity. She would never understand this girl's eagerness to party and drink. Maybe it was a British thing or maybe it was just an Emily Blackstone thing. All Mia knew was that she hilariously outmatched Holly as most crazy party girl. Mia didn't think her sister even knew what drinking and having fun was next to the likes of Emily. That was for certain.

* * *

Mia should've seen this coming. She should've known that Emily would ditch her the second she found a couple of hot guys that would shower her with attention. She should've known this more than anyone else because her sister used to pull the same shit with her when they were in high school. Mia didn't know why she had become friends with someone like Emily. Emily who was basically an even crazier and drunker version of her sister. Maybe that was why Mia was drawn to Emily in the first place. Because she reminded Mia of Holly.

It seemed like even moving across the pond did nothing to help Mia escape her sister's shadow.

That much was obvious as Mia sat alone at the bar as Emily flirted with two very good looking men. They were apparently tourists from Italy but Emily seemed charmed by them either way. Or maybe they were charmed by Emily. Mia couldn't tell. All she knew was that Emily had dragged her all the way to this place only to ditch her the first time any guy showed interest in her.

There wasn't anyone at the bar except for one very old, tired looking man who was currently nursing a bottle of scotch. Mia was currently slowing sipping at her pint of Scottish craft beer. She wasn't much for beer but she was drinking because she was taking advantage of the fact that she wasn't currently allowed to drink back in the states. In the UK it was perfectly legal. Might as well.

"Out of all pubs and places in town, what's a lovely girl like you doing in a dump like this?" Mia heard a very thick Scottish accented voice say. She immediately turned her head and noticed the bartender looking at her with a boyish grin on his face. Mia blushed at the attention. Mostly because he was really good looking but also because of his accent. She really seemed to appreciate the Scottish accent.

"That almost sounded like it came out of _Casablanca_." She said playfully. Usually she wouldn't be confident enough to come up with a retort like that but when she had a couple drinks in her, she could be pretty bold. Mia called it liquid courage.

"Well, to be fair most of the girls I hit on have never seen _Casablanca."_ He retorted and Mia miserably failed at hiding the surprised look on her face. Did he really just openly admit to flirting with her? Mia couldn't really believe it. She thought British men were notoriously shy about that sort of thing…well, maybe that was just Englishmen. Maybe the Scottish were different.

"It's a good movie…although Humphrey Bogart sounded much classier than you do." Mia told him and the bartender scoffed, his pale blue eyes sparkling with amusement as he looked at her.

"What? Because he had one of those 1930s Mid-Atlantic accents and I don't? The Scottish accent not classy enough for you, love?" He asked and Mia just shook her head and laughed. She blushed at the fact he called her "love". Mia knew it was just a thing people said over here. It didn't mean anything but she couldn't help the fact that her heart skipped a beat when he said it. She had never been anyone's "love" before.

"No, because he didn't refer to his bar as a dump and you did." Mia explained and the bartender just shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well, this isn't my pub. I just happen to work here." He told her before he gave her a questioning look. "So where's your boyfriend? Did he run off to the bathroom or something? It's a shame he'd leave a pretty girl like you all by herself."

Mia blushed even more vibrantly at the bartender's continued flirting but mostly because she had never really been flirted with before. She had never even had a boyfriend before so Mia was pretty inexperienced when it came to things like this. She didn't even know how to respond or even flirt back. God…why did Emily have to leave her alone? How was she supposed to get through this without somehow embarrassing herself?

"I don't have a boyfriend, actually." Mia told the handsome bartender shyly. A part of her just assumed he was flirting with her because he wanted a tip. Men never flirted with Mia. She was too cute to flirt with. Mia didn't think she was ugly by any means but she was just cute…adorable. Men didn't want adorable. They just wanted hot and sexy which Mia wasn't.

"I find that incredibly difficult to believe." He said as he stared at her. Mia quickly looked down at her drink shyly. This guy was really smooth. Almost like something out of a movie and Mia could hardly believe it.

"I'm here alone." Mia said, quickly changing the subject to avoid an awkward attempt at flirting. "Well, not technically. I came here with my friend."

"You wouldn't happen to come here with a very posh and spoiled rich girl, would you?" He inquired and Mia raised an eyebrow as she looked up at him.

"I don't know. That depends." Mia said, having a slight idea as to who he was talking about.

"Depends on what?" He asked her.

"Are you talking about a blonde?" Mia questioned and he shrugged.

"There's not really any other blonde spoiled rich girls in this place." He replied and Mia looked back at Emily who was still seated next to those two Italian tourists at a booth. Mia would never understand her friend's ease at flirting with strangers. Emily was completely insane.

"We're roommates. She thought I needed to go out for once." Mia told him and he raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not sure how well you know Miss Blackstone over there but I wouldn't say she's an expert at giving advice." He told her and Mia just gave him a confused look.

"What are you talking about? Emily's been perfectly nice to me ever since I moved here." Mia told him and he just smirked at her.

"Do you know how many times I've had to practically carry that girl out of here in the wee hours of the morning just to make sure she didn't drink herself into a coma and end up at the mercy of a serial killer?" The good looking Scottish man ranted and Mia just watched him in amusement. He was really funny…or so she thought.

"Well, that's really gentlemanly of you." Mia said as she smiled at him. "I know Emily can kind of be a handful at times."

"Kind of?" He questioned. Mia couldn't help but laugh because he was right. Emily was probably the craziest person Mia had ever met.

"Okay so she's a huge handful." Mia admitted and he chuckled for a moment before getting a little more serious as he looked back at her.

"I don't even think I know your name yet and we've been talking for the longest time." He said and Mia blushed at the way he was looking at her. His blue eyes were filled with such intensity that Mia could feel her heart racing in her chest. "Michael McCallum."

"Mia Kazan." She said as she introduced herself and he grinned at her. His smile seemed to light up his entire face and his eyes sparkled with happiness…like learning her name was somehow the best thing ever.

"Well, Mia…it's pretty obvious at this point but where exactly are you from?" Michael told her. "Do I detect an American accent?"

Mia laughed because she knew he was being sarcastic. It was painfully obvious how American she was. Her dad told her to not go advertising the fact she was American in a foreign country because people tended to hate Americans. He even tried to convince her to tell people she was Canadian but no one ever bought the fact she was Canadian. Canadian wasn't the first thing people thought of when they heard her accent.

"I'm from Maine." She told him as she returned his very infectious smile. "Portland to be precise."

"I've never been to America." He said, looking a bit curious. "I've always wanted to but I just never had the chance."

"I'm not sure I'm really the expert. I mostly just stayed in Maine." Mia said as she began to talk to someone who was basically a stranger to her. She literally just met him in a bar and her dad always told her to never meet a guy in a bar. She was nineteen but stranger danger was still a thing. "I mean, I went to New York City once when I was little but I don't remember it that much. My dad lives in Florida so I've been there a few times. It's not that great though. Really hot and humid."

"Really?" Michael said as he gave her another amused look. Mia blushed when she realized that she had been rambling.

"Sorry…I ramble when I'm nervous." Mia admitted and Michael smirked at her.

"What are you so nervous about?" He asked teasingly and Mia blushed an even more impossible shade of red…if that was possible.

"Nothing." She denied but Michael didn't look convinced. However, he didn't continue to embarrass her about it either as he changed the subject.

"So…what's an American from Maine doing in Edinburgh, Scotland?" Michael inquired curiously and Mia got over her embarrassment as she tried to force the obvious attraction she felt towards this man out of her mind. It's not like anything would come from it. She didn't even know him and he was just flirting with her for a tip. Mia didn't think really think he would be flirting with her if he wasn't a bartender at this pub.

"I'm going to the university here. I'm almost finished with my first year." Mia told him honestly. "I'm an English Literature major." He gave her an impressed look.

"Smart girl then?" He said teasingly. Mia blushed before shrugging, trying not to let this man's flirty nature get to her.

"Well, I'm still studying it. I have a couple more years to go." Mia said, trying to dismiss the fact that she was really that smart. Mia didn't really consider herself smart. If she was then she wouldn't have to spend hours studying and working a lot harder than the other students there. Mia just knew that she didn't want to let her tuition go to waste. As difficult as all the math classes she was forced to take as credit was, she needed to pass them to get that degree. And that happened to mean more studying and working harder.

"What about you?" Mia asked him politely. "What do you do when you're not bartending?"

"How do you know that this isn't my whole career?" He asked jokingly. "Maybe my life's dream is to be a bartender in a pub on the brink of bankruptcy?" Mia laughed because she knew he was only joking with her.

"No, seriously? What do you do?" She asked him again and this time he actually gave her a serious answer.

"I'm actually an artist." Michael told her and Mia gave him a curious look.

"An artist? Like painting and drawing?" Mia inquired and Michael just smiled at her.

"A little bit of both maybe. But I mostly paint. I like working with acrylic paint a lot more than oil so most of my work is acrylic." Michael explained to her and Mia could feel her heart skip a beat at the passion in his eyes when he started talking about painting. She related to it because she felt the same way whenever she discussed her favorite books and authors. Mia understood.

"Are you going to art school?" Mia asked him curiously and Michael just shook his head.

"I graduated a couple years ago. Artists don't tend to make much money which is why I'm a bartender as you can tell." Michael told her and he didn't look as hurt by this as Mia thought he would be. He gave her a small smile which told her that he seemed to have a good humor about his situation.

"Well, I'm sure things will work out." Mia said in a positive manner and Michael just stared back at her intensely. Her optimistic smile faded as she stared back. She didn't know why but she really liked him. It's not that she thought he was an unlikable person or anything but Mia never felt such a strong connection to someone on a first meeting. Well, she had never felt a connection to anyone quite like this.

It was crazy. Mia didn't even know him but she really liked him. She thought it was kind of shallow to like him because of his handsome looks. Well, she did think he was really attractive but Mia also liked the way he flirted with her. No one had ever flirted with her before. Even if he was being insincere about it, she still enjoyed the encounter.

However, the moment of connection between Mia and Michael ended as Emily laughed loudly from across the pub. Mia looked away from Michael to stare at her drunk friend in concern. The blonde was obviously wasted at this point which wasn't surprising to Mia. Emily managed to get drunk and party every weekend. Mia lost count of the times Emily stumbled into the apartment in the early hours of the morning.

"I can't stop laughing, Luca! That was so outrageously funny!" Emily exclaimed, clearly hammered at this point. Mia rolled her eyes and Michael just chuckled. She took a long sip from her beer, finishing it off, as she then set it back down on the bar.

"It looks like it's time to get her home." Mia told him and Michael just looked amused at the situation.

"It would seem so." Michael responded.

"How much do I owe you?" Mia asked him as she was about to go through her purse for the proper amount of money.

"Uh…nothing." Michael said and she noticed a blush that spread across his face. She was surprised because during this entire conversation it seemed like she was the one who was always blushing.

"Nothing?" Mia questioned in confusion.

"It's on the house." Michael told her as he smiled warmly at her. "It's not often a beautiful woman like yourself walks into a place like this."

Now it was Mia's turn to blush as she stared almost in shock at the man before her. Beautiful woman? Mia had never been referred to as a beautiful woman in her entire life. She hadn't even been referred to as a woman yet either. Most people tended to think she was much younger than she was. Mia knew how cheesy and ridiculous he was but she didn't seem to mind it.

"Well, thank you." Mia said shyly. "I really must go and help Emily…before she does something she might regret."

"That's very noble of you." Michael told her. "Although I'm sure Miss Blackstone doing something she'll regret isn't a foreign concept to her." Mia smiled before shaking her head in amusement.

"It's most certainly not." Mia retorted before she hopped down from the bar stool and began to make her way across the pub to her very drunk friend. She felt Michael's gaze on her the entire way over but she put him out of her mind momentarily as she sought to help out her friend. Mia didn't want Emily being taken advantage of by a couple of guys who would do less than noble things to her if they managed to get her drunk enough.

"Hey, Emily. It's getting late. I think we should head out soon." Mia told her friend as she approached the booth Emily and the two Italian guys were sitting at.

"Boo!" Emily said drunkenly. "Too late? The party's just getting started, Amelia."

"Seriously, Emily. I think you've had enough to drink." Mia said as she smiled nervously.

"Don't be that way." One of the Italian guys said as he pouted at her. The other one then proceeded to smirk at Mia in a way that made her skin crawl.

"Yes. We're just having a bit of fun." He told her as he continued to smirk at her. However, Mia wasn't charmed by his attitude like she was with Michael before. "Maybe you can even join us if you want. I've never had the pleasure of spending an evening with an American girl."

"Well, I can assure you that American girls are no different than any other kind of girl. Nothing special." Mia said as she tried to make the situation safer for both her and Emily's sake.

Mia recognized that this wasn't the sort of flirting Michael had been doing with her at the bar. This was much different. This was creepy and repulsive. Mia wanted nothing more than to run away from that table and into the street without looking back but she knew she wouldn't. Emily needed her. She couldn't just leave her alone.

"I'm sure that's not true." The Italian man told her with his thick accent but Mia held her ground.

"Right, well, we really must be going." Mia said awkwardly and Emily pouted.

"But I don't want to leave!" Emily whined and Mia gave her a pointed look. Mia finally had enough at this point. She didn't care if these Italian tourists could hear her. She was going to tell Emily how dangerous it was hanging around strangers like that when you were drunk. It just wasn't safe. Mia didn't call it being old fashioned. She thought she was just practical and had common sense because the truth of the matter was that Emily didn't know these men. Neither did Mia for that matter.

"Emily, we don't know these men. They could be rapists or serial killers. Probably both." Mia said in a hushed voice to her friend but the men still heard her.

"We're just being nice to you and your friend and you accuse us of being scum?" The Italian man questioned with a smile on his face but the smile didn't reach his eyes. Mia could tell he was starting to get annoyed. "Is this the usual way Americans treat people?" Mia just stared at them, unwilling to back down.

"It is when two men, who haven't even had a drink all night, spend all their efforts getting a girl ridiculously drunk." Mia retorted and the friendly looks on the men's faces fell off. They now looked incredibly pissed.

"It's not our problem if your friend can't handle a drink." One of them said as he sneered at her. His friend then jumped into the conversation.

"It's also not our problem if your friend wants to act like a whore." He spat and Mia just stared at the two men in disbelief. Emily seemed not to care at all as she giggled drunkenly.

"Come on, guys. We're all friends here." Emily slurred but Mia just ignored her as she fixed the two men with a glare.

"You two are a couple of assholes." Mia told them angrily. She was even surprised at herself for speaking so boldly. Mia usually avoided conflict and kept to herself. She was always very shy and nervous. However, the situation called for her to be the one to put her foot down and take action. No one else was going to do it. Holly wasn't here and Emily was insanely drunk so that left Mia to take charge. "Let's go, Emily."

"Who said you could leave?" One of them said as he rested his hand on Emily's arm and gave Mia a threatening look. She swallowed hard as she tried to think about what she should do. It looked like she was on her own because Emily certainly wasn't going to be a great help. Mia was about to respond when someone else stepped in.

"I think it's time for you two gentlemen to leave." A voice said from behind Mia. She gasped as she turned to see Michael standing there with an unamused look on his face.

"And what will you do if we refuse?" One of the men said as he crossed his arms. "We're paying customers, after all."

"Don't worry. Your drinks are on the house." Michael told them and Mia was taken back by the tone of his voice. He sounded much more serious than the flirty and funny Michael she had talked to at the bar. "But only if you leave right away."

"I don't know." The other man said as he smirked at them. "Maybe we'll stay and continue to have free drinks. On you as you said before." Michael just stared silently at the men, taking a deep breath before replying.

"Yes, you could…or I could maybe call the police." Michael said as he grew closer to the table, staring down the men. "On second thought maybe I'll just deal with you myself. I have to warn you…I'm no stranger to bar fights and bloody fists."

There was something in the way he stared at them that seemed to convince the Italian men that he wasn't bluffing. The heated glare he was giving them was evidence enough that he would go through with his hidden threat. One of the men retracted his hand from Emily's arm before they both proceeded to stand up from the booth quietly.

Mia watched with wide eyes as they cast their gaze down to the floor and proceeded to walk away. The men seemingly decided that the trouble wasn't worth it and not to mention they were quite threatened by the Scottish man. Michael was very tall, after all. Probably 6'2 or so. Mia also suspected that these Italian men weren't the type to get into bar fights. Their clothes looked very expensive and their hair was styled perfectly. She thought they might've been businessmen in town on business and definitely the type to have a bark much worse than their bite.

"Oh my god." Mia said breathlessly once the men left the bar. A huge feeling of relief came over her as she watched them leave. Mia had been afraid that things would escalate quickly but it seemed like Michael was quick to save the day.

"Aw! Why did they leave?!" Emily slurred before she then proceeded to stand up from the table only to lose her balance and almost fall on the floor. Mia was quick to grab onto her and keep her from falling. Emily just laughed.

"God, for someone who only eats once a day you sure are heavy." Mia muttered under her breath as she struggled to keep Emily standing up. The blonde just laughed before she leaned over and gave Mia a huge sloppy kiss on the lips. Mia's eyes widened in surprise at her friend's randomness before she wrinkled her nose in disgust. Emily's breath reeked of booze and cigarettes. Emily then parted from her with a goofy grin on her face before she snuggled up against her, holding Mia real close.

"Never kiss me again, Emily. I swear…" Mia warned her friend, trying to convey how inappropriate Emily was being. Mia was also still in a state of shock from Emily kissing her. She had never been kissed by a girl before and not to mention a very drunk one.

"I love you, Amelia. You're really just the perfect person. You're really just…" Emily trailed off drunkenly before she stumbled again and almost brought Mia down with her this time.

"Do you need help with her?" Michael asked and Mia blushed in embarrassment when she realized that he was still standing there. This was slowly turning into the most embarrassing night of her life. The hot bartender just witnessed her best friend plant a sloppy kiss on her. This was just great.

"Um…no. I just need to get her home before she causes anymore trouble." Mia told him as she managed to give him a small smile. She stumbled a bit again as Emily took another step and nearly fell once more. Wow…Emily was really hammered.

"So you're fully able to get that girl all the way home on your own?" Michael asked doubtfully, his eyebrow raised in amusement. Mia just waved her hand dismissively as she struggled under the weight of her friend. It wasn't that Emily weighed too much or anything. Mia was just a very tiny person so it was quite difficult to hold both herself and Emily up. Imagine a mouse trying to hold up the weight of a very drunk giraffe.

That's what Mia was dealing with right now.

"Yeah, sure. It shouldn't be a problem. Right, Emily?" Mia said as she glanced at her intoxicated friend. Emily just smiled lazily as she leaned down and sniffed Mia's hair very loudly.

"Your hair smells like flowers! Like meadows and meadows of flowers!" Emily proclaimed and Mia sighed heavily. Yeah, it definitely wasn't going to be easy getting this one home. Which sucked because Mia was studying for her final exams and she really didn't want to have something like this stress her out. She was already stressed out enough.

"Let me help you take her home." Michael said as he smiled at her. Mia blushed but shook her head.

"I couldn't let you do that. You've already done more than enough for us tonight." Mia said, trying to reassure him that he didn't need to help her but Michael wasn't having it.

"No, it's fine. I've helped Miss Blackstone get home numerous times." Michael told her as he gave the drunk blonde an amused look. "Tonight wasn't the first time I had to chase off sleazy suitors. She sure knows how to pick them."

"She's a regular then?" Mia questioned and Michael just smiled.

"She comes in a couple nights a week." Michael informed her. "She makes me feel cursed but I can't complain since she always leaves a big tip."

"Daddy taught me to always tip well." Emily said as she slurred her speech. "Servants won't spit in your food if you tip well."

"That's good to know, Emily." Mia said sarcastically, a bit annoyed that her friend dragged her all the way to this pub tonight only for her to get drunk and almost get them into a heap of trouble. Although Mia didn't think she could complain that much. She had met Michael, after all, and Mia really liked him despite how little she knew him.

"Well, I'm happy to help you take her home. She's quite a handful when she's drunk." Michael said and Mia completely agreed with that statement.

"When is she not a handful? Sober Emily is almost as bad as drunk Emily." Mia retorted and Emily winked awkwardly at them in her intoxicated state but she didn't seem bothered. She just grinned at the both of them.

"And you know it." Emily said as she attempted to speak with what she thought was a very seductive voice. "I'm a bad girl, Mia. What are you going to do about it? Are you going to punish me?"

"You're the worst, Emily. I really hope I get a new roommate next school year because I can't handle another year of this." Mia said although she didn't really mean it. She had come to love Emily in her own way despite the blonde's crazy antics.

"You don't have to be so mean about it." Emily said as she pouted and Mia just rolled her eyes before she glanced back at Michael.

"You really don't have to help us. I think we'll be fine on our own and I really can't take you away from your job." Mia said but Michael shook his head.

"It's fine. It's closing time anyways with it being two in the morning and all." Michael told her and Mia's eyes widened in surprise.

"Two in the morning? Really?" Mia questioned in disbelief. "God, when she's sober I'm so going to kill her."

"I can help. Not with the killing her thing but with getting her home." Michael said with a kind look on his face. "Really."

Mia didn't know if she should let him help her take Emily home. She didn't know him and she had watched enough _Dateline_ episodes to know that letting a stranger help her take her best friend home in a foreign country wasn't the best idea. He could be Ted Bundy for all she knew. However, there was something in the reassuring look on his handsome face that made her trust him. Mia knew it sounded stupid because people had said the same thing about Ted Bundy and look what happened to them but this was different. Somehow she knew she could trust Michael despite hardly knowing him.

"Okay." Mia finally relented and Michael's smile grew wider.

"Okay." He said, repeating her words. They looked at each other for a moment. Dark eyes meeting pale blue as they became focused on nothing but each other. There was a certain kind of spark there. That was for sure but neither of them knew what it really meant. However, their moment was once again interrupted by Mia's drunk college roommate.

"Yay! Threesome time!"

* * *

Mia and Michael had finally managed to get Emily back to the apartment about half an hour later. They had to walk the whole way home since there weren't many cabs around this time of night. No one had really found it odd that Mia and Michael were practically dragging a drunk girl home through the streets of Edinburgh. A drunk person wasn't a rare sight there. Everyone heading home at this time of night seemed a little intoxicated. Although Emily seemed to be the most drunk as she drunkenly sang 'Hips Don't Lie' in the early hours of the morning. Mia had to admit it was the worst singing she had ever heard. Emily was definitely no Shakira.

"And I'm on tonight! You know my hips don't lie and I'm starting to feel it's right!" Emily slurred as she and Michael dragged the drunk girl out of the elevator and onto their floor in the apartment building. "All the attraction, the tension. Don't you see baby, this is perfection."

"This door on the left, right?" Michael inquired politely. Mia just nodded.

"Yeah." Mia confirmed. Apparently Michael had only dropped the wealthy blonde off in the elevator of their apartment building whenever Emily had gotten wasted at his pub before. He had never actually been up to their floor so Mia had to show him the way.

"Oh, baby, when you talk like that! You make a woman go mad!" Emily continued to sing horribly. She did probably the most racist and terrible impression of Shakira that Mia had ever heard. Mia knew that it was going to be difficult trying to forget this night.

"So be wise and keep on reading the signs of my body!" Mia was then completely mortified when Emily broke away from them and tried to belly dance like Shakira. The keyword being "tried".

"Can you stop that?! You're going to wake people up!" Mia exclaimed in a hushed voice while Michael tried to contain his laughter.

"I'll do whatever I want. You're not the boss of me, Amelia." Emily told her stubbornly. Mia just shook her head as she reached in her purse for the keys to their apartment. The things she did for her friends. The brunette then proceeded to unlock the door to the apartment and Emily didn't waste any time before running in. It seemed like she had newfound energy within herself at the prospect of being home. Mia just hoped she didn't wake their other roommate up.

"Threesome time!" Emily yelled loudly and Mia blushed. She glanced at Michael who looked amused and she mentally cursed her friend for embarrassing her so much in front of the hot bartender.

"Emily, calm down. We already talked about this." Mia tried to tell her friend in a hushed voice. "There's not going to be any threesomes tonight. You're going to go to bed to sleep this off."

"Boo. You're no fun." Emily said as she pouted once more and Mia rolled her eyes. The blonde then proceeded to storm off to her bedroom and slammed the door behind her. Mia didn't know how she got sucked into rooming with an insane person. She didn't even know how she survived this long living with the woman.

"Sorry about her. She turns into a complete weirdo when she drinks." Mia said as she apologized to Michael. He only chuckled as he shook his head.

"It's not a problem. Besides…I've seen how she gets when she drinks. There's never a dull moment with that one. That's for sure." He said jokingly and Mia smiled. "I didn't realize she was such a Shakira fan."

"Yeah, she's a fan of a lot of different things when she's hammered. Shakira, Celine Dion, Wham!...the list goes on." Mia said in response and the smile faded from her face as she grew more serious, remembering all the nice things Michael had done for her tonight. He was probably only doing it because he was a gentlemen but she was still appreciative.

"Thank you for everything tonight by the way." Mia finally said after a short moment of silence. "You didn't have to help us with those guys back there and you really didn't have to help me bring Emily home. I know it's late and all so thanks."

"I didn't mind it." Michael said softly as he smiled at her. "Tonight was certainly interesting. Your roommate is highly entertaining although I think you should maybe keep a better eye on her in the future."

"I know. I feel like Emily's babysitter sometimes." Mia said as she soon found herself immersed in a conversation with Michael. It was odd how easy it was to talk to him. She didn't even know him but he was weirdly easy to talk to. Mia wasn't sure what that meant yet. "Maybe I should ask her dad for a salary or something." Michael laughed.

"You probably should." Michael said as he played along with her. Mia just nodded before changing the subject and giving him a more curious look.

"You know…a part of me thought it would be a bad idea letting you help us back to the apartment." Mia admitted and Michael gave her an odd look.

"Really? What is that?" He asked her and she shrugged.

"I don't know. You could've been a serial killer or something." Mia told him although she didn't really believe that anymore. Well, if he was a serial killer then he was the kindest serial killer she had ever met. The hottest one too. "Like…you could've brought us back here to decapitate us and chop our bodies into a million little pieces."

"That's weirdly morbid." Michael observed but the amused look on his face was still present.

"Well, I watch a lot of _Dateline_. Keith Morrison is my celebrity crush." Mia told him seriously and Michael just chuckled. Mia felt her heart beat a little faster at the sound of his laughter as well as the way his smile lit up his entire face, making his pale blue eyes pop. He had really pretty eyes, she noticed.

"I can tell you for certain that I did not help you take Emily home to murder you." Michael told her with a cocky smile on his face. Mia gave him a confused look.

"So what was your motive then?" She inquired and Michael just stared back at her, his gaze softer than before.

"My motive was entirely selfish. I just want to get your number." Michael finally told her and suddenly the room felt a little warmer to Mia. She blushed vibrantly as Michael continued to give her that cocky smile. God, he was beautiful. Mia didn't really know men could be beautiful but Michael certainly was.

"Oh…" Mia said dumbly, not knowing what else to say.

"So can I?" Michael asked her.

"Can you what?" Mia questioned, still very much in a dazed state from this new information. Michael gave her an amused look once more.

"Can I have your number?" He asked her and Mia didn't think it was possible to blush even more than she already had but she did. She felt so warm that a part of her felt like she might faint. This very funny and attractive looking guy, with what she thought was the hottest accent ever, wanted _her_ number. The entire situation was perplexing to Mia. No one had ever wanted her number before. No one had ever really noticed her before either but somehow Michael had noticed her.

"Yes um…yeah, I'll get a pen and paper then." Mia said nervously as she went to the table near the front door of the apartment. She grabbed a pen and quickly wrote her number on a sticky note that had been lying there. Her hand felt like it was trembling as she wrote the number down and she knew it was because she had Michael's full attention. When she finished, she handed the sticky note to him silently. He glanced down at her number on the piece of paper before looking up at her with a charming smile on his face.

"You have lovely handwriting." He said, his voice flirty and amused. Mia looked at him shyly from under her lashes.

"Thank you." She said quietly. Michael continued to watch her for another moment before he folded the piece of paper up and stuffed it in his pocket.

"I should be going then." Michael told her quietly but he still stood there unmoving. Mia nodded silently.

"Okay." She replied softly.

"I'll ring you tonight." Michael said just as softly and Mia carefully gazed up at him, noticing the way his pale blue eyes seemed fixed on her. Mia felt like she could melt under his gaze. His eyes were that beautiful.

"I'm already looking forward to it." Mia said. Michael then gave her one last smile before he turned around and proceeded to exit her apartment, closing the door behind him. Mia listened as his footsteps echoed down the hall before there was complete silence on their floor of the apartment building. She stood there in silence for a couple minutes before she winced at the memory of the words she gave him before he left.

"Seriously?! _I'm already looking forward to it?_ " Mia said as she repeated the words she said before in disgust. "That's so stupid. He definitely won't call me now." However, before Mia could take any more time to reflect on her stupid words, Emily once again interrupted her thoughts. Emily always seemed to have a habit of doing that.

"Mia! I think I'm going to be sick!" Emily called from her bedroom and Mia didn't hesitate in running down the hall to come to the blonde's rescue. Michael was right. There was never a dull moment in being around Emily Blackstone. The girl was probably the craziest person Mia ever had the displeasure of meeting.

Mia spent the rest of the morning holding Emily's hair back as the girl puked into the toilet from all the alcohol she had drank the night before. The smell usually would've made Mia puke as well but she was too distracted by the thoughts of a certain handsome Scottish man that she never felt the need to. Mia went over the entire evening, reflecting on their meeting and all the little moments they shared. She recalled how handsome and funny he was. How beautiful his blue eyes were and Mia suddenly hoped that he actually did call her. She wished that he wasn't just leading her on or anything like some boys seemed to. Because Mia was already hooked on Michael and she couldn't wait to see him again.

Mia had started the night out thinking that she was going to be miserable and bored but somehow the night turned into something much better despite what Emily had put her through. She just hoped this feeling of attraction wasn't all one-sided because she really liked Michael. Maybe he'd call her tonight and maybe he wouldn't. Usually Mia would tell herself not to worry about it but she found that she wanted Michael to call her more than anything. She just wanted to hear his voice again. The small brunette then continued in helping her friend empty her stomach contents into the toilet but the thought of Michael never completely left her mind.

She would then spend the whole day worrying about whether or not Michael would call her and just when she had given up hope later that night, her phone rang. Mia would soon become engrossed in an hour long conversation with the handsome bartender before they'd agree to a date the following Wednesday. The date would be one of the best nights of Mia's life, only second to the night they first met, but little did she knew that it was only the beginning of something big. The beginning of her falling in love but also the beginning of her getting her heart broken at the same time. Who knew that both things could go hand-in-hand?

Mia certainly didn't.


	7. Chapter Six

**Author's Note: So I know for sure now that Tony's returning in Chapter Seven. He won't be in this chapter but he'll be heavily mentioned through out the whole entire chapter so no problem. Can I also just say that I'm getting so impatient about Captain Marvel and Avenger's 4. I can't wait! They're both going to be great.**

 **ThatMysteriousSlime: There's really not enough Tony fanfics. It would be nice to see more since he's such an interesting character. He's probably one of the most complex characters in the MCU.**

 **peoplers: I'm not sure when I'm updating STNS. I think I've said this before that I'm just not feeling very into it right now. I'm just saying that it might take me a little while before I can update. Anything I write right now would be half-assed and just crap. I'm hoping to get to a certain point soon in this story and then I'll go back to STNS.**

 **So I answered a lot of questions about STNS these past few chapters and not to seem rude or anything but I would just prefer reviews about One Word from You here since STNS doesn't have anything to do with this story. I would just like to see what people think of this story and maybe the reviews for STNS could stay in STNS. I really don't want to seem ungrateful towards all the people who love STNS but I'd just like to have the reviews for STNS and One Word from You to be separate. Thank you.**

 **Thanks to Love. Fiction. 2018 for reviewing as well and thanks for all the favorites and follows as well. Please let me know what you think of the chapter.**

* * *

 **2016**

Mia had just spent the day doing absolutely nothing. There was absolutely no work that had been done whatsoever but not from a lack of trying. This was what her day was like. She'd get up in the morning _alone_ before washing up in the bathroom _alone._ Then Mia would make her way into the kitchen where she would scrambled up some eggs for herself, and only herself, _alone_ but also make herself a cup of coffee _alone._

After breakfast, Mia would sit in front of her laptop for about an hour as she stared at her screen silently, letting thoughts roam around. The cursor would blink endlessly almost like it was somehow mocking Mia. The page was blank, a blinding white color as it glared back at Mia.

Chapter Twenty Three.

It was the last chapter of a book she should've finished writing years ago but she still hadn't written a single word in the chapter. Sure, she would start sentences off but she never finished said sentence. She would simply erase what she had written and the blank page would be staring at her again. As a writer it was pure torture to sit there day in and day out without having a single thing to say about anything. Mia had writer's block before but never had it lasted this long.

Never.

Mia would give up on writing after an hour or two before she turned to watching TV. She was definitely a hermit who could spend days and days locked inside her apartment. Mia lost track of all the different tv shows she was watching. Some of her friends were impressed by how caught up she was with everything but it was mostly just depressing on Mia's part. The only time she got out of her apartment was when she went to soul cycle class. She knew Michael would've made fun of her for it but Mia didn't want to become so much of a hermit that she became a couch potato. Her life was depressing enough and Holly said it was important for her to get out of the house every now and then.

The truly depressing part about her day, however, was at night when she would have to make dinner for herself to eat _alone_ which she ate on the couch as she watched a show on Netflix. There was also the fact that she had to get ready for bed _alone_ before actually falling asleep _alone._ Mia supposed none of this being alone stuff would bother her if she hadn't been so used to being married. She had grown so accustomed to having him in her life and not to mention being madly in love with him that now everything just seemed empty without him. Three years and she still hadn't figured out how to move on.

Mia's thoughts were then interrupted by her apartment buzzer. She paused the show she was watching as she looked towards the front door. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she stared at the door. That was odd. She wasn't expecting anyone to come around this time of day. Well, any time, really. No one ever came to visit Mia. Except for Holly maybe but Holly was busy with the kids and her job.

Even so, Mia headed to the front door and pressed the button of her apartment buzzer. Her curiosity was much too strong to ignore the fact that someone was at the door. Mia was already bored enough so even if it was Jehovah's Witness, she'd invite them up for a chat. Hopefully it was Girl Scouts though. Mia had a craving for some thin mints right about now.

"Who is it?" Mia said into the intercom. It only took a second before someone responded.

"It's FedEx. I have a package for a Mrs. Amelia McCallum." A guy said through the intercom. "You're Amelia McCallum, right?" Mia was even more confused at this point.

"Yes, I am but I didn't order anything." Mia said before a look of realization came over her face. Wow…she felt stupid now. "Right…it's probably just Book of the Month Club. God, I completely forgot I was getting next month's picks."

"Yes, well, could you let me come up so you can sign for it?" The man inquired and Mia just nodded to herself. She couldn't believe she forgot about Book of the Month Club. Mia was supposed to read next month's picks and write a review for one of the books. It seemed like there was a lot of things that happened to slip her mind these days.

"I'll buzz you in." Mia said as she hit the button that unlocked the door to the apartment complex. She then proceeded to wait for the delivery man to make his way all the way up to her floor. Mia knew she didn't live in the nicest apartment, especially considering the small fortune she now had, but she didn't want to move away.

Her parents, Holly, and even Emily back in London all questioned why she didn't move to Manhattan or even in the nice neighborhood of Park Slope where Holly lived. Mia always gave the excuse that she loved Williamsburg too much to leave but that wasn't true. The reason she didn't want to leave was because this was the same apartment where she had lived with Michael. Leaving would also mean leaving Michael behind and Mia just wasn't ready for that. She didn't think she would ever be ready.

Mia was then interrupted from her thoughts once more from a knock on the door. She quickly opened the door for the delivery man only to be surprised a bit by the man's appearance. He was a short and small older looking gentlemen with wispy white hair on the top of his head as well as tinted shades and a mustache. Mia was surprised by how old he was but she supposed that he was like her father. He couldn't settle down, even in his old age, and needed something to preoccupy his time.

"Hello." Mia said politely and the older man smiled at her.

"Package for Mia McCallum." He said as he held the box up and Mia stared at the box in confusion. That wasn't the Book of the Month club box. The Book of the Month Club box was a very distinct blue color with cursive writing on the side. No, this just looked like a regular FedEx package.

"I thought this was Book of the Month Club." Mia said in confusion and older man just shrugged before reading off the name in the return address.

"It says it's from a Mr. Tony Stank." He told her and Mia was even more confused if that was possible. Stank? Mia didn't know someone with the last name Stank. How was that even someone's last name?

"I don't know who that is." Mia told him and the old man didn't seem to care either way.

"Listen, sweetheart, I just deliver the packages. Are you going to sign for this or not?" He said, a bit of sass in his tone. Mia smiled at him in amusement before taking the device in his hands, along with the pen that went with it, and gave him her signature. She then took the box from his hands.

"Thank you." Mia told him politely and the man just smiled at her before giving her a quick nod.

"Have a nice day." He told her before he turned around and started walking back down the hall. Mia watched him leave for a moment before she closed her apartment door, leaving her alone with the mysterious package.

The brunette wondered what could be inside the package. She already knew that it definitely wasn't Book of the Month Club. The box didn't match the description of the other Book of the Month Club boxes she had received in the past. She supposed it could be something her mother sent her but that seemed unlikely. Even so, the package clearly said that it was from someone named Tony Stank. Mia didn't know anyone with that name. She was sure she would remember if she met someone named something so unfortunate. Seriously? Stank just had to be the most unfortunate name ever.

Mia didn't wait long before she decided to finally open the package and solve whatever mystery the FedEx guy brought to her apartment. The box wasn't very large so Mia didn't even bother grabbing a knife to open it with. The small, petite woman merely used her fingernails to open the package. Once she cut through the tape, she opened the box and took a peek inside.

At first she didn't see anything important. Just a bunch of paper that was probably meant to keep whatever was inside from getting too damaged from the journey to her apartment. However, it only took a second of pulling the paper back to see what was in the box and when she saw what it was, she jumped back in surprise.

Mia's mouth hung open and her eyes widened in surprise at very mysterious contents of the package she was sent. The brunette then slowly, and very carefully, edged her way back to look at the package once more. A part of her thought that she might've been mistaken and had somehow imagined what she had seen but another peek into the box proved her wrong. Mia stared inside the box and noticed none other than the very book she had nearly forgotten about from over a week before.

 _A Farewell to Arms._

But it wasn't just any old copy of _A Farewell to Arms_ because Mia had several copies of the book so she was very familiar with the novel. No, it was the first edition copy. The same first edition copy she had seen at the auction from over a week ago. Doubt soon entered Mia's mind as she began to rationalize what she was seeing. This couldn't be the same book from the auction. No, that book had gone to…

Tony Stark.

Tony Stank.

Stark.

Stank.

Stark.

Mia's eyes widened once more as she hurriedly looked at the front of the package to read the same name on the return address that the delivery man had read aloud. To her astonishment, it wasn't Tony Stank on the package. It was actually Tony Stark. The delivery man must've read it wrong…or maybe this was some kind of trick. Could she really be expected to believe that Tony Stark of all people had sent her the same book he had won at the auction?

It seemed insane to her so Mia did the logical thing and picked up the book nonchalantly. She thought that maybe this was just a random first edition copy of the book. A first edition that most likely only cost a hundred dollars on eBay. However, Mia was more than shocked to see the Ernest Hemingway autograph and heartfelt message he had written on the title page. She quickly dropped the book back into the box like it had burned her.

This was the book.

This was the same book that Tony Stark had outbid her on at the auction…the same book that he paid two hundred and fifty thousand dollars for. Mia had just touched a two hundred and fifty thousand dollar book. And to think that she had spent the past half an hour eating tortilla chips with the same hands she just used to touch that book.

Mia didn't understand. Why would Tony Stark send her this book? It's not like they were friends or anything. She only talked to him for fifteen minutes at the auction and she didn't think much of the encounter. Well, okay…so she might've thought he was the tiniest bit hot and charming in that older guy way but she didn't think much of him beyond that. Surely not enough for _her_ to send _him_ a two hundred and fifty thousand dollar book.

What kind of game was Tony Stark playing?

The brunette was about to ponder this further when she saw a small slip of paper at the bottom of the box. Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion as she reached for the odd note that had previously been hidden underneath the Ernest Hemingway book. She pulled the paper out of the box and brought it up close to her face to read. A note? Who knew Tony Stark to be so old fashioned? Mia certainly didn't.

 _Snow White,_

 _I thought you'd like this book since I caught you looking at it the other night like it was Ernest Hemingway himself. I'm not much of a reader myself so I thought you'd have more use for it than I would. You're welcome._

 _-Tony Stark_

 _P.S. I've read your books and I take back my Twilight and Fifty Shades comments. Just thought you should know._

Mia just stood there for what felt like the longest time as she read and reread the note. It was very short but Mia just kept staring at it, trying to decipher what each and every word meant because Mia wasn't understanding this. Tony Stark had sent her a book simply because he didn't have any use for it? Then why bid on it in the first place? Mia was thoroughly confused by this new information. But more importantly…

Why on earth was he calling her Snow White?

* * *

"Wait, wait…when did you meet Tony Stark?" Holly asked her. Mia had invited her sister over a couple hours later after spending a large amount of time staring at the book that was still inside the box. She needed someone to vent to and her sister was her best option. Emily was currently on vacation who knows where. Mia actually thought Emily was on vacation ninety percent of the time. Either way, Mia needed someone to talk to about this so that she could at least try to understand what this all meant because she was really fucking clueless at this point.

"At the charity event I went to last week." Mia told her sister. They were currently seated on the couch in the living room of Mia's apartment as they talked over a glass of red wine. Mia's niece, Alyssa, and her nephew, Finn, were both seated on floor of the living room, their eyes glued to the tv as they watched cartoons. They were much too preoccupied with _Bubble Guppies_ to have any clue as to what their mother and Aunt Mia were talking about.

"The auction?" Holly questioned in disbelief. "You told me about the auction over the phone yet I don't remember you mentioning that you met Tony Stark."

"We didn't really meet." Mia tried to explain. "I was having a drink at the bar and he started talking to me. It wasn't really a meeting. We were just making small talk."

"How long did you talk for?" Holly questioned and Mia shrugged.

"I don't know. Fifteen minutes maybe." Mia told her and Holly raised an eyebrow.

"Fifteen minutes is a hell of a long time for small talk." Holly pointed out and Mia didn't know what her sister was getting at.

"I wouldn't know. I'm not the small talk expert." Mia muttered before growing more serious as she cast another look towards the book. "So you can see why I find it weird that he randomly sent me a book he paid a quarter of a million dollars for. We barely talked." Mia then glanced at her sister only to notice that the strawberry blonde was smirking at her. She gave her sister a confused look.

"What?" She questioned and Holly just continued to give her that knowing look.

"Amelia Natalie Kazan," Holly started to say in the same way their mother used to when they were little and Mia was in trouble. "Were you flirting with him?" Mia's mouth dropped open as she stared at her sister in shock, her eyes were probably about to pop out of her head at this point.

"Excuse me?!" Mia exclaimed, surprised by her sister's inquiry but Holly didn't look phased.

"Were you flirting with Tony Stark at the charity auction? You were, weren't you?" Holly said in amusement and Mia's face felt warm all of a sudden. "You were totally flirting. That's why he sent you the expensive gift. You seduced him."

"I was _not_ flirting with him." Mia said as she glared at her sister. "You know more than well that I don't flirt."

"You flirted with Michael all the time." Holly pointed out and Mia sighed.

"That's different. That was Michael." Mia replied before giving her sister a pointed look. "I was not flirting with Tony Stark, okay? I was just talking to him. It was all just me being the polite and respectful person I am."

"Well, you must've done something right because he's definitely into you." Holly told her and Mia rolled her eyes.

"Oh, so he's into me now? What is this…high school?" Mia said sarcastically and Holly just giggled. Mia partially blamed her giddiness and annoying behavior on the wine but she knew her sister was like this in real life too.

"Come on, Mia. Why else would a guy send a girl a book worth a quarter of a million dollars?" Holly asked her and Mia scoffed.

"Most guys don't send a girl a book worth a quarter of a million dollars because that's insane." Mia retorted.

"You can be in denial all you want but I'm convinced Tony Stark has a thing for my baby sister." Holly said stubbornly before smirking at Mia. "The only question is does my baby have a thing for Tony Stark?" Mia gave her a wide eyed look.

"Of course not. I told you that we only talked for fifteen minutes. I don't even know him which is why I found it shocking he sent me this book. Who even does this?" Mia told her but Holly didn't look convinced.

"You have to admit he's not entirely bad looking, Mia." Holly pointed out and Mia just shook her head.

"He's old, Holly. Don't be gross." Mia told her and Holly rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Mia. You're almost thirty. Age doesn't matter at this point." Holly informed her and Mia glared at her.

"I still have a year before I turn thirty. Let's not rush it." Mia told her before going back over the topic of Tony Stark. "I honestly doubt he sent me this book because he's interested in me from the fifteen minute conversation we had. No, he sent it for some other reason. I don't know if it's some kind of rich guy power game or because he thinks he's funny-"

"Oh my god, Mia. You don't understand men whatsoever." Holly said as she rolled her eyes at her naïve little sister. "No guy's going to send a girl an expensive gift like that as a joke."

"I know what you're thinking but Tony Stark isn't trying to make a move on me." Mia told her sister seriously. "He could spend a lot less on a girl much prettier than me. Remember when we were still in high school and they used to put those gossip magazines out all the time? He was always on the front cover with some supermodel or actress so I highly doubt he's doing this to get with me."

"Mia, let me tell you something that I've known for a long time." Holly told her sister who was so naïve that it was adorable. "You attract a very specific kind of man. It's something I've noticed over the years. Ever since high school."

"High school?" Mia questioned and Holly nodded. "What are you talking about?"

"Yeah, remember Aaron Finnegan?" Holly asked her and Mia's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Aaron Finnegan? You mean, the pyromaniac? The guy who burned his grandma's house down?" Mia inquired and Holly nodded again.

"Yeah, well, Aaron had a huge thing for you. He wanted to take you to prom but then he burned his grandma's house down and went to juvie so he never got the chance." Holly explained and Mia scoffed.

"It sounds like I missed out on a lot. Aaron was a real keeper." Mia said sarcastically and Holly just laughed before she continued.

"My point is that you don't know the power you have over some men. You always attract the most interesting sorts of people. I was always kind of jealous of you for that." Holly told her and Mia gave her a look of disbelief. Holly was jealous of _her_? Mia couldn't really buy that.

"You mean I attract weirdos." Mia retorted and Holly shrugged.

"Call them what you want but they're interesting. Aaron, Michael, and now Tony Stark." Holly told her in a teasing tone. "I don't know what it is about you Mia but these men just can't get enough of you."

"Yes, a pyromaniac I went to high school with, an artist I met in a bar, and a rich superhero I met at a charity auction. How lovely." Mia said sarcastically although she still highly doubted that Tony Stark had sent her the book because he had a crush on her. He was a grown man for Christ's sake and she was sure he had much better things to do then send some random girl he met at a party a gift simply because he liked her. That and Mia doubted she was worth the effort.

"You definitely have something about you. That's for sure." Holly told her as she took a sip of wine from her glass. Mia just rolled her eyes.

"Look, my point is that I don't know why he sent the book but I'm not sure I like that he did." Mia said, trying to get back on topic. "How did he even find out where I live?"

"What are you talking about? He's Tony Stark. He can probably find out where anyone lives." Holly told her and that seemed to make Mia more worried than ever.

"Like Edward Snowden?" Mia questioned, her eyes wide with worry. This time it was Holly's turn to roll her eyes at her sister.

"Oh my god. Are you still on about Edward Snowden?" Holly asked as she gave her sister a look of disbelief. "I still can't believe you put a band-aid over your laptop's webcam."

"I don't want some creepy little nerd watching me while I look at old SNL videos on YouTube. I should be able to do that in private." Mia said defensively. "I just thought that I only had Snowden to worry about before but now I have to worry about Tony Stark too, I guess."

"Yes, because I'm sure Edward Snowden and Tony Stark want to spend all their time watching you watch YouTube." Holly said before she smirked. "On second thought, maybe Tony Stark would want to do that. Since he's been sending you gifts apparently.

"God, I feel you're one of those southern belles and your gentlemen caller keeps sending you stuff…like Scarlett O'Hara." Holly said as she continued to embarrass her sister. "Hey, you're kind of like Scarlett O'Hara. She was a widow too and Tony Stark's kind of like Rhett Butler, right? He's this really handsome and charming rich guy."

"Thanks for that." Mia said sarcastically as she playfully glared at her sister. "And Tony Stark hasn't been sending me gifts _plural._ He sent me _one_ book. Just one. A singular gift."

"A very expensive book." Holly pointed out. "If you look at it this way, he really did send you a lot of gifts because this one gift is probably worth thousands upon thousands of normal people gifts. You know…poor people gifts like what we're used to."

"I'm sending it back." Mia said suddenly as she continued staring at the box and ignored everything her sister just said. Holly gave her a surprised look.

"What?!" Holly questioned in disbelief. Mia nodded, a confident look on her face.

"I'm sending it back." Mia repeated before explaining herself. "I can't accept this book, Holly. It's two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. That's crazy."

"You can't send it back. He obviously sent it to you because he wants you to have it for some reason." Holly tried to tell her but Mia had already made up her mind.

"Exactly. I don't know why he sent me this book." Mia told her sister. "I don't know if it's because he likes to show off how much money he has or if it's some kind of power game. I don't even know if it's like you said and he just wants to sleep with me. Either way, I'm not accepting it."

"Mia, that's crazy." Holly said, still disbelieving the fact that her sister was going to send back a gift Tony Stark sent her. Who even does that? "You love Ernest Hemingway and this is a book that was autographed by him. You'd be insane to just send it back to Stark."

"I don't want it." Mia told her stubbornly. "I don't want to feel like I owe him anything and I really don't want to feel like I work for him. My dignity can't be bought." Holly scoffed.

"Your dignity?" Holly questioned as she raised an eyebrow at her sister. "Aren't you the same girl who drank so much from pub crawling during your first semester at college that you threw up haggis and turnips all over a bagpipe player?" Mia's eyes widened in surprise.

"How did you know that?" Mia asked her sister.

"Emily told me about it the last time she was here." Holly informed her and Mia sighed heavily.

"I'm seriously going to murder that girl the next time she comes here. I don't know how I've been friends with her this long." Mia said before getting back on topic. "I'm just trying to say that I don't like the fact that he tracked me down and sent me a ridiculously expensive gift. I don't know what kind of girl he thinks I am but I won't put up with it."

"Most people would just take the gift and shut up about it." Holly told her pointedly but Mia looked as stubborn as ever.

"Well, I'm not most people." Mia told her sister defiantly. "He can take his expensive book and shove it up his ass for all I care."

"Are you going to tell him that in the note you're currently writing?" Holly asked her as Mia began to write a note in response to Tony Stark's note.

"Of course not. Mom raised us to be more polite than that." Mia told her sister and Holly rolled her eyes. "I'm just going to respectfully decline the gift. Keep it short and sweet. Just like something I would write to my editors."

"How professional of you." Holly said sarcastically. "I'm sure Tony Stark's going to love being treated like your editors because he definitely sent you that book for professional reasons."

"I just want you to know that I'm fully aware of the fact that you're being sarcastic and I don't care." Mia told her sister as she finished writing the note.

"You're always so suspicious of everyone. You're just like dad." Holly told her sister from behind her wine glass. "He's not trying to buy you. He probably just wants a date or something. It's not a big deal."

"I'm going to pretend that you didn't just compare me to dad because I don't want to argue with you." Mia told her as she folded up the note and placed it in the box with the book. "And if this is how Tony Stark tries to woo a woman then I don't want any part of it."

"Why not? Sending a girl a gift is kind of romantic. At least he didn't send you flowers or anything cliché." Holly told her and Mia scoffed.

"Yes, because sending a random girl a two hundred and fifty thousand dollar gift to her apartment, which you only know the address of because you pulled an Edward Snowden and violated her private information, is totally romantic." Mia ranted and Holly realized that her sister kind of had a point.

"Okay, so maybe it's a little creepy." Holly admitted and Mia raised an eyebrow.

"A little? Try a lot." Mia informed her before sighing heavily and growing more serious. "Look, I really don't get why he did this. I mean, I doubt he did it because he wants a date or something like that." Mia only briefly paused before she continued.

"The truth is that I don't like the fact that he sent me an expensive gift for no reason whatsoever. It makes me uncomfortable and especially because I don't know why he did it." Mia told her sister and a sympathetic look came over Holly's face.

"You should send it back then." Holly said as she finally relented. "You're right. It is a little weird and if it makes you uncomfortable then you shouldn't keep it."

"Thank you." Mia said as she looked back at Holly. She was grateful that her sister seemed to support her on this even if she didn't completely understand Mia's reasons. Holly nodded and it was a moment before either of them said anything. It was only when a thought crossed Holly's mind that she smirked at her sister.

"You know, this will probably drive him nuts." Holly said abruptly and Mia looked at her incredulously.

"What?" Mia questioned and Holly just shrugged nonchalantly.

"I'm just saying that he'll probably think you're playing hard to get or something and he'll be even more determined than before." Holly said as she looked at Mia excitedly. "Maybe next time he'll send you a diamond necklace from Tiffany's. Ooh…maybe next time he'll send your sister one too."

"Why are you so obsessed with my love life? Is yours and Mark's sex life that boring?" Mia questioned as she playfully glared at her sister. "I saw the fancy showerhead you had installed in your bathroom by the way. Is that your new boyfriend?"

"You were always so annoying, you little brat. And let's not act like we both don't know what's in your nightstand drawer. So don't point fingers at me and Lucas." Holly said as she bantered with her sister. Mia just shook her head in amusement as both she and Holly started laughing at themselves.

It was almost like nothing had changed between them despite everything they both had been through. Holly who was married with two kids and Mia who was widowed. They had changed so much since the time they were kids but they were still sisters…still best friends. Mia and Holly had grown up together but it seemed like through all that growing up, they had never grown apart despite how different they were. Mia was glad.

"I just worry about you, Mia." Holly told her seriously once they had calmed down from their laughter. "You're all alone in this apartment, the same one you lived in with Michael, and I know you never leave. You just spend your days locked up in here like you're Bruce Wayne or something."

"I'm working." Mia tried to tell her but Holly knew her better than that.

"No, you're not. We both know that you're not working." Holly told her knowingly. "You don't have any friends either-"

"I have you and Emily." Mia argued and Holly sighed.

"I'm your sister so I don't count and Emily's always running around the world." Holly told her as her gaze softened. "You also told me about that Channing Tatum looking guy so it doesn't sound like your dating life is going so well either."

"It's not my fault that Tinder makes the worst matches. I can't help that." Mia said defensively. Holly just shook her head.

"It's not just that, Mia. It's not just the fact you're cooping yourself up in this apartment all day and night. It's not just the fact that you have zero friends and a non-existent love life." Holly told her before giving her a worried look. "It's the fact that you're still clearly not over Michael."

"What are you talking about?" Mia asked her and Holly scoffed before she pointed at Mia's hand.

"You're still wearing your wedding ring." Holly pointed out.

"So?" Mia questioned and Holly gave her a look of disbelief before looking around the apartment.

"You still have all his pictures up. It's like a fucking shrine." Holly told her and Mia glared at her sister.

"What? So I'm just supposed to pack all his stuff up and pretend like he never existed?" Mia questioned and Holly gave her a sad look. It was that look of pity she always hated and especially when it came from her own sister.

"That's not what I'm saying." Holly told her before continuing to try and talk some sense into her. "I'm just saying that I don't think it's healthy for you to keep living like this. Mark and I are worried about you. Mom too for that matter."

"You think I'm going to kill myself or something?" Mia asked her in disbelief.

"No…I mean, yes. Maybe. I don't know." Holly said, sounding very confused. "Mia, you just haven't been quite the same since Michael. I'm worried about you."

"I'm not suicidal, Holly." Mia said, her voice sounding annoyed.

"It's been three years. Three years and you're still just like you were the day of the funeral. Nothing's changed." Holly told her and Mia glared at her. "You just keep going through life like you're walking through some kind of dream. You know, you haven't dated anyone seriously since Michael. Like not even one person."

"I've dated." Mia argued and Holly just shook her head at her sadly.

"I'm talking about a serious relationship, Mia. Not Tinder dates." Holly replied as she gave her sister a worried look. "Michael wouldn't want you like this. He would've wanted you to move on and be happy."

"You don't know what Michael would've wanted. No one does because he's dead." Mia told her sister and Holly just sighed.

"Mia, you deserve to be happy. I know Michael would've wanted that for you. He wouldn't want you to be like this." Holly tried to tell her but it was no use. Mia was very stubborn.

"It's not like I'll ever find someone like him again." Mia said bitterly and Holly frowned because it was so unlike Mia to be bitter. Holly still remembered how sweet and positive her sister used to be. It was never like Mia to be cynical. But since Michael's death, a lot of things had changed.

"I know you won't because he was Michael and he was special." Holly told her honestly, trying to make Mia understand her point. "But you shouldn't want to find someone like him. I don't want you spending your whole life comparing every guy you meet to Michael. You'll never be happy if you keep doing that."

"I don't want anyone other than him." Mia told her but her tone was more sad this time. Holly gave her a sympathetic look.

"I know you're hurting but I just want you to be happy. I want you to fall in love and get married again. I want you to have children too." Holly said sincerely. "You're too young, Amelia. You're too young to be wallowing in your own misery like this." Mia just stared at her in silence, her blue eyes filled with unshed tears.

"I just don't think I want those same things for myself anymore." Mia finally said, her voice quiet and sad. Holly swallowed hard as she looked at her younger sister who was filled with such sadness. Holly was about to reply to Mia's statement when Alyssa and Finn came over to them.

"Mommy, we're hungry." Alyssa said as she came up to the two women with her brother following suit. The seven year old and five year old looked at them expectantly.

"Uh…okay, sweetie." Holly said, still looking at her sister. Alyssa then frowned as she glanced over at her Aunt Mia who looked sad. The seven year old noticed that her aunt was sad a lot but she never understood why. Her mother said it was because Uncle Michael went to heaven but Alyssa still didn't quite understand.

"Aunt Mia, why are you crying?" Alyssa asked her while Finn just looked at her curiously. Mia sniffled as she immediately wiped the tears from her eyes and faked a smile. Her niece and nephew didn't need to see her be so miserable. That wasn't fair to them.

"I'm just being silly, guys." Mia told them as she started to get up from the couch. "Come on, I'll find you guys some snacks to eat in the kitchen. I think I still have some fruit roll-ups from last time."

"Yay!" Finn said as both he and his sister began to follow their aunt, forgetting about the fact that their aunt was crying not even two minutes ago. Mia kept up an upbeat and happy appearance for her niece and nephew but her sister knew better.

Holly watched her sister leave with a conflicted look on her face. She knew her sister was still sad and even though Holly tried to lift her spirits up, she didn't know if she was enough. Her sister seemed to coast through life living in this little bubble. Holly couldn't really understand what was going through her sister's head these days but she knew she was worried. Mia was sad and Holly didn't know how to fix her. Was there any part of her sister that was left to fix? Holly wasn't sure anymore because her sister wasn't herself. That was the one thing that was clear to her in that moment.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Author's Note: So this chapter's twice as long as the last chapter. I didn't intend for it to be but it just ended up that way. Lots of Tony in this chapter and more to come. He'll start appearing in this story a lot more now.**

 **yogurtlover123: You'll see Tony's reaction to the book being sent back in this chapter. There's a lot more interaction between Mia and Tony then what we've previously seen. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter because of that. Their interactions are so interesting to me. There will eventually be smut. I'm thinking that this story will probably have the first sex scene I've ever written which is weird because I thought STNS would have that but Emma and Peter are teenagers while Mia and Tony are adults so that's probably why. It'll eventually happen but it might be a while.**

 **crzychigurl343: Thank you! I decided to take a different approach to an OC story. I was watching _PS I Love You_ when I came up with the idea for this and while I didn't like the movie that much, I did like the concept of a character trying to move on from that kind of grief which is something I don't see a lot of in fanfiction. I get what you mean about some OCs and their love lives. A lot of them have shitty exes or no experience in the dating scene whatsoever. Mia was very much in love with Michael so it's going to be hard for her to move on but I like writing her journey in doing that.**

 **snapplecrackles: It'll eventually be explained more about what Mia's books are about. Probably within the next couple chapters. I think Mia mentioned in one of the earlier chapters that she's the kind of person who plans everything out so she had this plan for her and Michael to start trying for kids when she turned thirty and was more settled into her career as a novelist. This is something she has a lot of regrets about and will open up more about as the story progresses.**

 **glagla60800: Your review means so much to me! Thank you! You're way too kind because I feel like my writing's far from perfect but thank you for that. I love Pepper and Tony too but I could really write an OC pairing with any Avenger because I love them all and I love writing OCs into stories. It's just fun for me.**

 **I love Providence of the Universe so much. It's been a long time since I've fallen in love with a fanfiction that much. I keep checking my alerts to see if the author updated because I'm super addicted to it. She's a very talented writer.**

 **Could you also maybe list the author name of the fanfic you were telling me about because I can't find it for some reason.**

 **I recently found another Tony Stark fanfic called Metamorphosis which is also a slow burn and has really slow updates but it's really good.**

 **I just had to add the Tony Stank joke and Stan Lee cameo in here. Stan Lee as the FedEx guy was probably my favorite Stan Lee cameo of all the Stan Lee cameos.**

 **Aaron the Pyromaniac and Dylan/Channing Tatum look alike are for comedic relief since this story can be quite sad at times. I really want to somehow bring them both back into the story in a subtle and funny way but we'll see.**

 **kattcrue: I'm being very careful with how I portray Tony because he's such a hard character to write. I'm not going to make him a complete asshole in this story like he's somehow portrayed. He's just an eccentric billionaire who doesn't always have the best response or reaction to things like most people would. In this story he's very lonely, a lot like Mia, which I think is realistic because this takes place after Civil War. So it makes sense why he's so hellbent on getting Mia's attention because he recognizes that she might be able to understand him more than what most people would think. So he'll be kind at times but other times he'll say the wrong thing and be distant because he's still Tony. I know that's a super long response to your review but I really just wanted to take advantage of your kind review and explain to people that I'm not going to write him out of character and make him just fall head over heels for Mia right away. I still want to be realistic.**

 **Purplestan: I really love writing Michael and there will be more flashbacks with him in it so there's much more to look forward to. I'm mostly just saying the everyone hates American thing for the story as sort of a joke. I've visited Scotland and England on a school trip when I was in high school and I really fell in love with it. Especially Edinburgh(if you couldn't already tell) so I can't help writing about it because I just loved both countries so much. However, I also noticed when I was over there that everyone kind of joked around about not liking Americans. Like they made it clear that they liked us but they joked around about finding us annoying or arrogant. The Scottish were especially funny about it. They kind of rolled their eyes playfully before asking where we were from and when we told them they jokingly said, "Well, I guess you're okay then". A couple Scottish guys on the plane also made fun of us for not being able to drink until we were twenty one. It was really funny. They pretended like it was the worst thing they had ever heard of. Maybe it was considering they were Scottish.  
**

 **So I know not everyone really hates Americans. Although the people who were in charge of the arrangements for the school trip did warn us not to advertise we were Americans and really did tell us to tell everyone we were Canadians although no one believed that. So I know that not everyone hates Americans but I just make the comments in my stories as a joke. Kind of like I'm making fun of myself. Super long explanation but I just wanted to make it clear that I understand that not everyone hates us. It's just my weird sense of humor at play.**

 **Thank you guys so much for the flood of reviews. You have no idea how happy this made me! I just got this one review for STNS that just said "Trash". Like one word with no explanation so this was really nice and made me feel better. Thank you to peoplers, Chancellor S, ilypopXtart333, Dawn's Darkness, Athena05, abstract0118, jaclynencizo, and Love. Fiction. 2018 for reviewing as well. Thanks to all the many favorites and follows as well. I hope you enjoy the chapter and please review.**

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Mia was running a bit late. She didn't exactly mean for herself to be running late but the line at coffee shop she stopped at on the way to the meeting had been longer than she thought. Mia could've walked out and left the coffee shop at any time but she was going to need coffee if she was going to make it through the meeting.

Mia knew exactly what this meeting was going to be about. The meeting was to be held in one of the conference rooms with the publisher, editors, and her publishing agent present. It was going to focus on the novel she was still writing but still hadn't finished. They would give her the third degree about the progress of said novel. _Why isn't it finished yet? How long will it take to finish? Should we be worried? Are you okay?_ Mia honestly didn't have a single answer to any of those questions which was why coffee was very much needed.

The brunette took the elevator up to the floor where the meeting was supposed to take place. Random House Publishing's Headquarters weren't located in a very large building but it wasn't too shabby either as far as publishing companies went. Mia patiently waited for the doors to the elevator to open so she could finally get to the conference room and get this meeting over with. She couldn't wait for the moment that she didn't have to listen to a lecture she really didn't want to hear.

Mia didn't really look like she belonged on a floor with important and professional people. She was very much aware of the fact that she still looked like a college student besides being twenty nine. It wasn't just her height that gave her that impression but maybe it was the fact that she still dressed like she shopped at Forever 21. Her blouse was a mint green color with a black Peter Pan collar which was tucked into her vintage looking black A-Line skirt that was printed with little flower designs. Her look was completed with a pair of black velvet peep-toe heels with Mary Jane straps. They were her favorite pair of heels which Mia only saved for dates and professional meetings. She supposed this counted as a professional meeting.

The twenty nine year old walked into the conference room, expecting to see the publisher and a couple of the editors. Truthfully that _is_ what she walked in on but there was actually so much more than what she expected. Everyone she thought would be there was there. Tom, Martha, Lauren, Zach, Valerie, and Carter. Her publisher, editors, and publishing agent in that exact order. But there was also the fact that there was someone she never expected to see in the conference room of Random House Publishing. Someone she never expected to see at what was basically her place of work.

There was no doubt in her mind about who the person was as he sat so casually in his chair as if he had sat in that very same chair in that very same conference room a million times before. He looked the same as the last time she saw him. Their meeting had been brief but she hadn't forgotten him as much as she tried to. The fact that he sent her that ridiculously expensive book was evidence enough of that.

Mia briefly wondered, as she looked at him, whether or not he was the one who styled his hair that way or if he had someone who did it for him. That's how celebrities lived, right? They had people who did seemingly trivial things for them but she didn't know if it worked the same way for superheroes. His hair was so perfect by the way…as if he spent hours running his hands through it except that he hadn't. That's how natural it looked. God…Mia didn't know why she spent the longest time thinking about how nice his hair looked. Maybe it was because she always thought men that age started to lose their hair but not Tony Stark.

"Mia, we're so glad you're here." Tom, her publisher, said as he grinned at her. Mia was still very much in a state of shock from seeing Tony Stark in the conference room. A part of her thought that she might've been imagining it. Like this was all part of some kind of weird dream or something.

"Yeah, um…am I in the wrong room?" Mia asked hesitantly as she glanced between Tony Stark and everyone else in room. She noticed the excited smiles on everyone's faces which she hadn't expected initially as she walked into the room. Mia expected stern and worried looks but not excited.

"Of course not, Mia." Tom told her and Mia was weirded out by the look on her publisher's face. She didn't think she had seen him this excited before. The balding man was usually a very grumpy person. "We were waiting for you to arrive."

"Well, I hope you didn't wait too long." Mia told him politely as she kept casting a curious yet suspicious look in Tony Stark's direction. She couldn't really see his eyes from behind the tinted sunglasses he wore. Seriously? Sunglasses inside a building? Mia wondered if she would ever reach the level of confidence that would permit her to wear sunglasses inside a building. Probably not.

"Not at all." Tom said as he shook his head, his smile unwavering. "Please, have a seat." Mia slowly moved her feet over to the table before she took a seat next to Carter and across from Tony Stark. She was still in this odd state of confusion, not having a clue as to what was going on. The smirk on Tony's face wasn't making her feel any better either. Mia really didn't know what was happening.

"What is this about, exactly?" Mia asked nervously. It didn't escape her notice that Tom didn't even blink when she set her ice coffee on the table. Usually he'd frown and not so discreetly grab a coaster from his desk. Tom was always so anal about coasters. However, he didn't seem to care as he continued to grin at her.

"Oh god, I've been so rude. Forgive me, Mr. Stark." Tom said as he blushed before glancing back at Tony. "Mia, I'd like to introduce you to Tony Stark. Mr. Stark, this is Mia but I bet you already knew that."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss McCallum." Tony said as he continued to smirk at her. Mia just stared at him, not liking the smirk on his face one bit. He was smirking at her like he knew something she didn't.

It had been about a week since she had returned his book. She hadn't heard anything back since then so Mia assumed that he got her message. Her unspoken message that said that she didn't know why he sent the book but she didn't like the fact that he had. Mia just assumed that he had taken the book and sent it to someone else who wasn't bothered by the fact that someone randomly sent them a two hundred and fifty thousand dollar book. Still…Mia was starting to get the feeling that him being there might've had something to do with that book. She wasn't stupid. Tony Stark showing up at her place of work couldn't have been a coincidence.

"It's _Mrs._ McCallum actually." Mia said stubbornly, refusing to be called anything but her married name. It's not like Mia was divorced or anything. She just wasn't married anymore. Mia knew that didn't make any sense and it didn't make any sense to her either but Mia was still stubborn about the whole thing.

"Really?" Tony questioned as he gave her a doubtful look. Mia realized in that moment that he probably knew about her deceased husband. The look on his face gave her that exact answer. It made sense that he knew. If he was able to find out her name and address from whatever creepy Snowden skills he had then he most likely was about to find out that she was married…or had been married, at least. Mia wasn't sure she liked the fact that he knew that much about her.

"Yes, really." Mia replied, still refusing to back down and also refusing to let him refer to her as anything other than Mrs. McCallum. It annoyed her when people referred to her as "Miss" rather than "Mrs". The idea might've sounded insignificant to regular people but to Mia it was a very big deal.

"Well, the reason we're having this meeting today is actually to do with Mr. Stark." Tom started to say as he noticed the weird tension between the billionaire and famous author. He was getting the feeling like these two might've met before. "Mr. Stark has expressed interest in having someone write his biography."

"And Mr. Stark's decided to go to a publishing company himself?" Mia asked after she raised her eyebrows in surprise but she didn't look away from Tony who seemed very nonchalant about all of this. She wasn't surprised that he was having a biography written about himself but she was just confused about what she was doing there. "That's a very backwards way of doing things. Usually you have to find a writer before a publishing company and the writer's supposed to present the idea to said publishing company."

"That's the thing." Tony said as he started to explain himself. "I'm not used to all this book stuff. It actually just occurred to me the other day that I've never had a biography. Not an authorized one at least. Weird, right?" The billionaire only briefly paused before he continued with his odd rambling. Mia noticed that his weird rambling from the night of auction wasn't an isolated event. Mia could ramble too at times which always got on her sister's nerves but she only rambled when she was nervous. This man didn't seem nervous.

"I mean, why haven't I ever had a biography?" Tony questioned rhetorically. "Reese Witherspoon has a biography and her life probably isn't half as interesting as mine. What could Legally Blonde possibly have to say about the world? Nothing important. That's for sure."

"I actually really love Reese Witherspoon. So that's kind of insulting to me." Mia said quietly, unable to put up with the fact that Reese Witherspoon apparently had haters and Tony Stark was one of them. Tony gave her an amused look.

"Sorry." Tony said sarcastically before moving on. "Anyways…my point is that a book about me would probably be selling off the shelves in minutes. Seconds, even. You know, with the whole being a genius billionaire playboy philanthropist kind of thing. It kind of goes without saying."

Mia found Tony's arrogance to be a little bit annoying but mostly because she was just annoyed by him. She was annoyed by the smug look he had given her at the auction when he outbid her and she even more annoyed by the fact that he sent her a two hundred and fifty thousand dollar book. She just found him annoying and hard to figure out. For the life of her, Mia just couldn't figure him out. She didn't know what his intentions were and that scared her.

"I'm sorry." Mia finally said, still immensely confused by the situation at hand. "Why am I here again? Not that I don't think Mr. Stark's biography is a good idea but what does this have to do with me?"

"I suppose there's no other way to get around this so I won't even try beating around the bush." Tom said nervously as he looked over at a very lost looking Mia. "Mia, the reason you're here today is because Mr. Stark is interested in _you_ writing his biography."

Mia was completely speechless at this information. For a moment she thought she had heard Tom wrong. It wasn't until she linked this information with the excited looks on everyone's faces that she realized that this must've been true. Why else did no one look disappointed in her lack of progress in writing her novel? Something like Tony Stark wanting to have his biography written and for it to be published by Random House would've been enough to lift anyone's spirits. Well, everyone excluding her, at least.

"E-Excuse me?" Mia questioned as she looked between Tony and Tom incredulously. "That doesn't make any sense. I'm not a biographer. I'm a novelist."

"Well, Mr. Stark seems to be a very big fan of your work." Tom explained shortly and Mia honestly doubted that. He obviously didn't even know who she was a couple weeks ago at the auction. Mia just didn't get it. Was this some kind of game he was playing? Like with the book?

"Really?" Mia asked as she cast Tony a doubtful look. However, the billionaire didn't seem phased at all. He just continued to give her that smug look behind his shades.

"Yes. Mr. Stark has spoken nothing but nice things about you since he arrived." Tom continued to tell her. "He seems quite adamant about you writing his biography. I suggested some more experienced authors but he's seems very adamant about you."

"And can Mr. Stark speak for himself?" Mia said as she narrowed her eyes at the billionaire in question. She knew she was being a bit rude but Mia didn't know what he was trying to get at. He was driving her insane. She didn't know what he was going to do and that scared her. Why was he doing this? And why her? Mia didn't have a clue and that terrified her.

"In all honesty, I'd probably write the thing myself but writing a whole book about myself seems like a long, drawn out process." Tony started to say as he looked at the brunette. His eyes had never once left her from the moment she walked into the room. Not once. "I'd rather just have someone else do it. Besides…writing a book about myself seems borderline narcissistic." Mia restrained herself from scoffing at that because she didn't think he had to worry about making himself not look narcissistic. He was already there.

"You seem like you know what you're doing. I read your stuff." Tony said as he continued to try to talk her into this crazy scheme. "Very moving. Well, _I_ was moved anyways and it's very hard to move me. I'm a hard person to move." Mia just stared at him in bewilderment. What was wrong with him? Was he as insane as everyone said? Mia was starting to think that might've been the case.

"I thought this would be a nice way to wrap up your three book contract deal." Tom said and he immediately got Mia's attention. She tore her gaze away from Tony to look at Tom.

"But I'm already working on the third book." Mia argued and Tom nodded.

"We know but I thought this would be a nice and refreshing project for you to work on." Tom said in a gentle voice, not wanting to upset the young writer. "Just so you could take all the time you need with your third book. You could fulfill your contract with this book and then we'll publish any book you want on your own terms. You could write a book about unicorns and gelato and I could really care less."

"Unicorns and gelato?" Mia said slowly, still not understanding what her publisher was telling her.

"Perhaps we'll let you and Mr. Stark discuss this alone. What do you think, guys?" Tom said as he looked at the editors and Carter who all collectively nodded. "We'll just leave you then if that's alright with you. It's okay with you, right, Mr. Stark?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll be happy to have a little one-on-one time with _Miss_ McCallum." Tony said as he smirked at Mia once more. Mia glared at him because she knew he was trying to rile her up for whatever reason he had.

"Can I just have a quick word with my client, Tom?" Carter asked the publisher as he looked in between Mia and Tom. The publisher just shrugged before nodding.

"Sure. Make it quick. I don't think we should keep Mr. Stark waiting all day." Tom told the publishing agent who only nodded quickly before grabbing Mia by the wrist. She quickly got up from her seat as she was led over to a secluded corner of the room as Tom and the editors talked to Tony. Mia gave her agent an odd look as they finally stopped moving.

"Listen to me, Mia, you have to take this deal." Carter told her suddenly, not wasting any time. Mia gave him a confused look.

"What?" She questioned.

"You don't know how good this will be for you…for all of us." Carter said as he began to convince his client to take the sudden and random deal. "This could be a really big deal for Random House and an even bigger deal for you. This Tony Stark we're talking about, after all. He's an Avenger, Mia. Do you know how many people would kill for this opportunity?"

"Carter, this is insane. You know I'm not capable of writing a biography." Mia told him honestly. "If I was a journalist then maybe but I'm just a novelist. I write fiction."

"You're a writer though." Carter argued. "All you have to do is listen to his life story and then write it down. It'll be the easiest thing you've ever done. Kind of like a high school history project."

"I'm not political, Carter." Mia said, ignoring everything Carter just told her. "My writing isn't about politics."

"No one said anything about politics." Carter told her.

"But he's political. The whole Avenger thing with the Sokovia Accords. That's political and I don't want people thinking that I'm suddenly taking a stand." Mia said as she expressed her concern about this biography. "That's not why I became a writer and that's definitely not what my writing is supposed to be about."

"This isn't about your politics." Carter told her as he did his best to convince both his friend and client to take this deal. "Okay? All you're doing is writing down what he says. If what he says is political then that's his politics and not yours. You're just a writer. You won't have to take a stand or even have an opinion about politics. Just write."

"I don't know, Carter." Mia said, still not quite convinced. She really didn't like this whole thing. Mia was starting to think that this might've been a bit personal considering what happened at the charity auction and as well with the book. She didn't really believe that Tony was here because he randomly decided that he wanted a biography. His intentions were questionable to her.

"Look, Mia…" Carter said as he sighed. "I know this isn't exactly what you had planned but I think this may be good for you. You can take a little bit of time off writing your third book. I know you've been having trouble with it for whatever reason."

"I'm not having any trouble. It's still a work in progress and I-" Mia started to say but Carter stopped her.

"Mia, it's okay. If you do this book with Stark then you can take as long as you want writing that other book. Random House will publish any book you want if you write this biography." Carter told her seriously.

"I'm still working on the screenplay of Madeline Adams. I'm busy." Mia tried to argue but Carter just rolled his eyes at the brunette.

"We both know you're almost finished with that and we also know that you have nothing better to do. You don't have a life, remember?" Carter told her knowingly. "You're completely free to write Tony Stark's biography. Come on, Mia. You can't tell me that this isn't at least a little bit exciting to you. He's an Avenger. What is it? Do you not like him or something?"

"It's not that I don't like him or the Avengers." Mia said truthfully. "I'm grateful for everything they've done. I'm just not comfortable with this." Mia briefly paused before continuing.

"I mean, why is he doing this? Why me?" Mia questioned suspiciously as she momentarily cast a sideways glance in Tony's direction before looking back at Carter. "Tell me this doesn't seem a little weird to you."

"Okay, so it's a little weird but who cares why he's doing this." Carter told her pointedly. "It'll be good for us. Good for you more importantly."

"I don't like it, Carter. I feel very uneasy." Mia told him and Carter just gave her a sympathetic look.

"Look, no one says that you have to make any decision right now." Carter said softly as he tried to be gentle with her. That was the best way to approach Mia in all honesty. "Just talk to him and you can think about it later."

"I guess talking to him wouldn't hurt." Mia said as she finally relented. Carter gave her a satisfied smile.

"Just what I wanted to hear." Carter said as he gave her a goofy grin. "You'll be alright then?"

"Yeah. It's not like I have any other choice." Mia mumbled but Carter didn't look bothered by her unenthusiastic response.

"Good." Carter said before he looked over in the direction of Tony Stark, Tom, and the editors and addressed the room. "We should leave these two to talk. Don't you think?" Tom smiled at Tony one last time as he got ready to leave the room.

"Well, it was a pleasure speaking with you, Mr. Stark. We're all very happy in your interest in our publishing company and, of course, Mia. She's a phenomenal writer." Tom said as he boasted about Mia's writing talent in a way Mia never heard from him before. "I think she's one of the best of our generation. I feel lucky to have published her work." Mia knew he was just spouting a bunch of lies to Tony now. Tom had never said such a thing about her before. Quite the opposite actually.

"She's really talented. A real Bronte or whatever the equivalent is." Tony replied as he tried to sound like he knew what he was talking about when it came to English Literature. Mia didn't really think he did. Tom and the others just nodded as they began to leave the room. Mia watched as her publisher gave her a hopeful look before finally exiting through the door and leaving her alone with Tony. Mia could feel her heart racing in her chest, not knowing what to expect from the notoriously eccentric billionaire.

"So we meet again, Snow White." Tony said once they were finally alone. Mia swallowed hard, trying to think best about how to handle this situation. She really didn't have a clue what she was going to do because she had no idea what he wanted. Mia knew he wanted something but she just didn't know what.

Tony took his tinted sunglasses off so he could finally get a good look at the small brunette. He hadn't been able to look away from her since she entered the room but mostly because he had been eagerly anticipating the moment he would see her again. She looked different from the auction. The brunette wasn't wearing all the make-up she had been wearing that night and now it made her look even younger. Especially with the outfit she had on. Mia looked every part of the college student, not looking like the accomplished young author she was, but Tony now knew she was older. _She really was cute_ , Tony observed as he watched her nervously fidget with her fingers.

"Mr. Stark, I don't know why-" Mia started to say but Tony interrupted her at once.

"Why did you send the book back?" Tony said abruptly as he stared unwaveringly at the brunette. The book was the very thing that had been bothering Tony since it had returned to him unexpectedly a few days ago. He couldn't stop thinking about what would've made her send it back. The note was very polite and short but offered no explanation as to why she didn't want the book. Mia furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"What?" She questioned, not thinking she heard him right.

"I got the book back a few days ago. Did you not like it?" Tony said, being just as unpredictable as Mia thought he'd be. She didn't really understand what this had to do with the situation. Mia blushed at the way he stared at her. She felt like she was thrust into the spotlight with being called out on something she had hoped would remain forgotten. Mia honestly never thought she'd see him again when she sent the book back. She really hadn't expected him to show up at her place of work just a few days later.

"Did I misread the situation? Are you more of a Fitzgerald girl? Salinger?" Tony questioned as he continued to look at her. "Not that I've read any of their stuff because I'd rather not be mindlessly bored but if you're not a Hemingway fan then my mistake."

"I love Hemingway." Mia said, trying to ignore his weird rambling. She didn't know how he did that. How he could just talk so fast about things. Like he was speaking before he was thinking…or rather like he was just voicing his thoughts without any care as to how his thoughts sounded to other people. She supposed when you were Tony Stark you didn't really have to care about what other people thought about you.

"So why did you send it back?" He asked her again. "It wasn't exactly cheap, you know. Well, it's not like it put a dent in my bank account but other people wouldn't consider it cheap. Not that I was being cheap in sending you the book but I'm not exactly used to sending women books of all things. Most women seem to like diamond-"

"That's exactly why I sent it back, Mr. Stark." Mia said as she interrupted him before he could continue to ramble on. Tony fell silent as he gave her a questioning look. "I don't think it was right for you to send me something so expensive."

"It wasn't right?" Tony questioned in confusion.

"We don't know each other, Mr. Stark." Mia elaborated as she tried to explain her reasoning to him. "Normal people don't send strangers a book that's equal to a quarter of a million dollars." Tony just looked at her in disbelief. Out of all the reasons he tried to imagine for her to send the book back, he really didn't expect to hear that one.

"Who's to judge what makes a person normal or not? Normal people are boring anyways. I'd rather live in a society where a person can send another person a book." Tony said nonchalantly, not seeming bothered by Mia's concern. "I mean, I thought we lived in a free country where people can send other people books. Or would you rather live in a society like _The_ _Book Thief_ where people can't send each other books?" Mia looked at him in disbelief.

"Have you even read _The Book Thief_?" Mia questioned, not believing the fact that Tony had actually read _The Book Thief_.

"Of course. It's a contemporary classic." Tony answered and Mia gave him a doubtful look.

"By Markus Zusak?" Mia questioned further and Tony nodded.

"Yeah. Markus Zusak. Great guy." Tony commented and Mia nodded slowly.

"Then you know _The Book Thief_ is about a little girl's perspective of the Nazi Regime in Germany during World War II and has nothing to do with a dystopian society where people can't send each other books. It's historical fiction." Mia told him and Tony swallowed hard before nodding.

"I know that." Tony said, trying to sound smart. Usually he was smart, above the intelligence of most people, but when it came to English Literature, Tony was just as clueless as the next guy. "I mean, I might've skimmed it so I didn't exactly read _everything_ but I got the big picture."

"Right." Mia said doubtfully, still not quite believing him. "Well, it's not that I don't appreciate the gesture, Mr. Stark, but the whole thing makes me uncomfortable."

"Uncomfortable?" Tony questioned in confusion. Mia nodded.

"I don't know your motive, Mr. Stark, and I also don't like feeling like I owe someone anything. Hence why it makes me uncomfortable." Mia told him as politely but honestly as she could. Tony stared at her, still trying to figure this girl out.

"My name's Tony so don't call me Mr. Stark. It makes me feel like my dad and I'm not a stubborn, grouchy old bastard like he was." Tony told her pointedly. Mia fought the urge to argue with him on that. "I also didn't send you it because I wanted you to feel like you owe me anything."

"So why did you send it to me?" Mia asked him curiously and Tony was speechless for a moment which was rare for him. It was rare that he ever didn't have anything to say.

However, the reason he didn't have anything to say in this instance was because he honestly didn't know why he sent her the book. Maybe it was because he saw the way her face lit up with a smile when she saw the book and he just…well, he didn't actually know. Or maybe he just liked talking to her for those fifteen minutes because it had been a long time since someone had talked to him like that. Everyone else walked on eggshells around him. Rhodey was constantly worried about his mental state after Siberia. He was afraid that anything would send him off the deep end. Rhodey didn't look at him like he used to either. There was always a look that was a combination of pity and worry. Tony didn't like it so it was nice that night at the auction when he finally talked to someone who didn't look at him like that for a change. Mia didn't talk to him like he was on the verge of breaking down nor did she talk to him like she wanted something from him. She just… _talked_ to him.

"You seem like a nice kid." Tony told her, not willing to give her a real answer. Mia frowned.

"You do realize I'm not a kid, right? I'm twenty nine." Mia told him and Tony just smiled at her. His smile seemed to bother her more because it reminded her of Michael. Michael used to smile at her like that. There was a certain amount of cockiness to his smiles that initially charmed Mia but when Tony Stark smiled at her like that...well, it just made her feel uneasy. It was almost painful to see such a smile on someone else's face.

"I know." Tony told her confidently. "But you're a kid in comparison to me."

"Look, I really appreciate the gift but I can't accept it. It's too expensive and not to mention the fact that I don't know you." Mia said as she brought the conversation back to the topic they were initially discussing. Mia also withheld the fact that she didn't trust what his true intentions were either.

"I guess I can understand that although I'm not sure what _I'm_ going to do with a Hemingway novel. I'm not really a Hemingway guy." Tony told her, half joking but half not. Truthfully, he was a little disappointed that she hadn't accepted the book. He was more disappointed than he thought he would be but Tony didn't know why he was disappointed. She was right. They didn't know each other.

Not really.

"So why did you schedule this meeting?" Mia asked, finally cutting to the chase. "Or is it all just a ruse and this was just about the book?" Tony immediately shook his head.

"I was actually thinking about the biography for a while now." Tony said although he wasn't sure two weeks was considered a while. He knew he was interested in the small brunette but he just didn't know _how_ he was interested. Tony realized that maybe he had gone off the deep end, after all. Here he was talking to a woman he barely knew and trying to convince her to write his biography which was something he hadn't put a lot of thought into. Happy thought he had finally lost it and Rhodey seemed to agree with him. Maybe Tony was finally going crazy like everyone else seemed to think.

"You do know what that kind of thing entails, right? You have to tell your life's story and that can get very personal." Mia informed him and Tony just looked at her.

"I know…that's kind of what a biography is." Tony said sarcastically and Mia gave him an annoyed look. He didn't have to be so condescending about it. She just wanted to do the polite thing and make sure he knew what he was getting himself into. Tony then smirked at her as the arrogant look returned to his face. "Does this mean that you'll do it?"

"I never said that." Mia told him sternly before relaxing a bit and sighing tiredly. "Look, Mr. Stark-"

"Tony." He reminded her and Mia was finding it very hard not to get annoyed at him again.

" _Anthony,"_ Mia said pointedly, refusing to call him by the name he wanted her to call him. And yes, she knew she was being very immature. This only seemed to amuse Tony more, however, which then seemed to annoy her more as it would seem. "I really don't think I'm the best candidate for this job. I lack any of the qualifications you would need in a biographer."

"Why is that?" He asked her but he wasn't curious. Just amused by Mia's nervousness. Truthfully his mind was already made up about the matter. He just wanted to hear Mia try to convince him otherwise.

"Well, for example, I'm not a journalist. A journalist would be much better suited to write your biography." Mia said informatively. Tony raised an eyebrow.

"But you _are_ a journalist." He told her and Mia gave him a confused look.

"No, I'm not." She replied because she didn't know what gave him the impression that she was a journalist.

"You worked for Cosmopolitan for a couple years. That's kind of like journalism." Tony said, knowing that he was most likely going to embarrass her with this information. He was right because the brunette blushed vibrantly.

"That wasn't journalism and I only worked as a freelance writer there because it paid for my rent and student loans." Mia said defensively which only seemed to amuse Tony even more than before.

"Oh, come on, McCallum." Tony said teasingly. "So you wrote a few articles about spicing up things in the bedroom. That's nothing to be embarrassed about." Mia's eyes widened in surprise and her face turned an even darker shade of red much to Tony's delight.

"I didn't write articles like that." Mia argued and Tony only continued to smirk at her, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"What was it?" Tony questioned suggestively, making it clear he wasn't about to let it go. Mia was really starting not to like him. He might've been Mr. Rochester level attractive to her but his attitude certainly wasn't. "The do's and don'ts of doggy style? Deep-throating 101? How do you even write those kinds of articles? Lots of experimenting probably, right? I'd _really_ like to know more. We should talk about it some time. Just you and me."

Mia just stared silently at the smirking man for a moment as she slowly processed what he was saying. It wasn't that she didn't understand what he was saying but it was the fact that he even said something so revolting in the first place. She swallowed hard before she fixed Tony Stark with an angry glare and grabbed her coffee from the table. He frowned as he noticed that she was gathering her things.

"What are you doing?" He asked her and Mia just scoffed. Why did he ask her that like he didn't just say the revolting things he just did? Mia gave him a furious look.

"You're a disgusting pig." Mia told him angrily much to Tony's surprise. Then again, he rarely ever knew what he did to piss women off. Even at forty six he was still clueless when it came to women. "I already get enough of that _revolting_ talk from guys on Tinder. Worst stuff too but I don't need to hear it at work as well so if that's all you've come here to say then I'll just leave."

The brunette then started to leave which was the last thing Tony wanted. He just wanted to see how far he could push her and it turned out that he didn't have to push her far. The small woman seemingly had a quick temper which was different from what he had been used to with Pepper. Pepper who was ever so patient with him and who also never let any of his remarks offend her. It was all just for shock value which was why Pepper never let him get under her skin.

However, the same couldn't be said for Mia who was pissed off quite easily. For some reason Tony kind of liked her pissed off. Snow White was adorable with that little angry look on her face. Her face was all scrunched up and her eyes narrowed into a glare as she walked past him. It was kind of like one of Santa's little helpers being angry at you. You were taken back but at the same time you couldn't help but find it cute.

"Snow White, wait." Tony said as he raced over and put his hand against the door, stopping her from leaving. Mia paused in front of the door but didn't say anything as she stared at anything other than his face. "Look, I didn't mean to make you…uncomfortable. I was just joking around. You have a sense of humor, right?" Mia finally looked up at him and gave him an unimpressed look.

"I have a sense of humor when something's funny." She retorted and Tony noticed that while she seemed perfectly polite, that didn't mean Mia was a pushover. He was starting to see that she was anything _but_ a pushover.

"Right, well, I didn't mean it like that. I've been told I have a habit of speaking before thinking. Usually people don't let it bother them." Tony told her pointedly but Mia still seemed upset. Shit. He really didn't know what to do in a situation like this one. It was rare that Tony ever apologized for anything he did. A miracle in itself.

"The only reason I came here today was because you called a meeting with my publisher for whatever reason you have. I don't have to be here." Mia told him, maintaining an evenness to her tone. It wasn't like her to hold her own like this but it was different when someone had pissed her off. She hadn't even wanted to come in today but she had anyways because it was her responsibility. Mia didn't come all way down to Random House headquarters to listen to Tony Stark to disrespect her like this. She didn't care who he was. Mia respected herself too much to have some guy talk to her like that.

"I'm an asshole. Everyone knows that." Tony told her honestly. "I was actually being serious when I called your publisher for this meeting. All joking aside, I'd really like you to write the biography."

"I didn't write articles about sex for your information." Mia said, choosing to at least try and put her disgust and anger at his vulgar comments behind her. She could tell that was probably Tony's attempt at apologizing so she supposed she would just accept it…for now. Besides…Carter told her that this could be an important deal so she needed to not let herself become so sensitive. If she was going to write this biography, and that was a big if, then she needed to have a thick skin. Tony Stark was famous for his eccentricity which included smart ass remarks and pissing people off. Mia just needed to find a way to deal with it.

"Really?" Tony asked, a little relieved at the fact that Mia didn't seem to be leaving anymore. Mia shook her head.

"Cosmopolitan's not all about sex, you know." Mia told him informatively. Tony just raised an eyebrow as he looked at her in amusement. "There's lots of important articles about politics and women's reproductive health too amongst other things."

"Good to know." Tony said, starting to become a little uncomfortable but he supposed he deserved it with the way he talked to her earlier.

"I wrote an article about black periods. Ever heard of a black period?" Mia asked him and Tony's eyes widened as he stared at her in surprise. For a second time that day, he seemed to be speechless.

"No, I…can't say I have." Tony said slowly and Mia looked at him defiantly. He was starting to think this was payback for his previous comment.

"I hadn't either until I wrote the article." Mia replied and Tony knew that she was still the same girl from the auction. The same girl who was capable of standing up for herself without caring about offending him. The same girl that had a quick and witty comeback for something he said. "Would you like to know more…since you're _so_ interested in what I wrote for Cosmopolitan? I can tell you if you want."

"No, no…that's okay. I get the picture." Tony said uncomfortably and Mia was satisfied to know that, like most men, Tony Stark seemed to have the same buttons he didn't like pressed. Well, Mia hoped that he learned his lesson.

"Good." Mia stated and Tony cleared his throat awkwardly before Mia changed the subject. "Look, Mr. Stark, I know a lot of journalists. I could recommend one to you…except for maybe Christine Everhart. I'm not sure if that would be a wise choice."

"You know about Christine?" Tony asked in surprise and Mia shrugged.

"You hear about a lot of things in the writing community." Mia mentioned before moving on. "My friend Bridget Walsh is a really talented journalist for Rolling Stone magazine. She did this amazing interview with Oscar Isaac as well as interviews with various musicians. She'd be more than happy to write your biography. I'm sure."

"But I don't want Bridget Walsh to write it." Tony said and Mia noticed the way he seemed to pout almost like a child who wasn't getting his way. This was supposed to be a forty six year old man? He came from money, after all, so she supposed it made sense that he was used to getting what he wanted but he was also an Avenger. Weren't superheroes to be a bit more mature than that? "I want A. N. Kazan to write it."

"Mr. Stark, I've never done an interview before. I'm not a good choice." Mia said as she tried to convince him of the fact but Tony was stubborn.

"You must've done an interview before. You couldn't have worked for a magazine that long and not have, at least, interviewed one person." Tony argued and Mia sighed.

"I interviewed a gynecologist for my black period article that you wanted to know so much about." Mia stated sarcastically and Tony just stared at her for a moment before responding.

"Now I wish I hadn't asked in the first place." Tony told her and Mia gave him a look.

"Well, maybe next time you'll think before you open your big mouth." Mia told him pointedly and Tony continued to look at her, the corner of his mouth tilting upwards into the beginnings of a smile before he stopped himself.

"Come on, McCallum, give me one reason why you don't want to write my article." Tony said to her and Mia looked at him in disbelief.

"I just gave you a very big reason. I'm not a biographer." Mia told him and Tony rolled his eyes.

"Fine. Then give me another reason." Tony said demandingly and Mia sighed.

"You're a very political person." Mia pointed out much to Tony's confusion.

"Political?" He questioned and Mia nodded.

"Yes, you're always in the news and then there's that whole business with the Sokovia Accords. Not to mention your job and past is incredibly controversial." Mia informed him and Tony narrowed his eyes at her.

"So you're saying you don't agree with the Sokovia Accords?" He said almost accusingly and Mia shook her head.

"It's not that I do or don't agree. I'm a writer. I don't have an opinion on that sort of thing. That's not what my writing's about." Mia tried to explain to him. "If I had a political agenda then I would've become a journalist but I don't have one. I write to escape the very shitty world we live in. People read my work to escape that world too."

"You're saying that writing my biography would damage your literary reputation." Tony said and it was clear he making a statement. Not a question.

"I don't want to take a stand and I really don't want to delve into politics." Mia told him honestly as she noticed the not so pleased look on his face. "Don't look at me like that either. I'm not a superhero nor am I a public figure like you. I respect the good you've done for the world but I write novels. It's what I love and what I'm good at."

"You could do a lot of good if you wanted through your writing. You don't have to be a spy or shoot laser beams out of your forehead to do that." Tony told her seriously and Mia noticed it was the most serious he had looked throughout their entire conversation…the most serious he looked since she met him, actually.

"I know…but the country's already so divided. Why add fuel to the fire?" Mia said before shaking her head. "No, I prefer writing about two things and two things only. Love and death. They're the only two topics that can stay relevant throughout the course of time. People, no matter where or when they live, can always relate to love and death."

"Right…I forgot I was talking to a writer." Tony muttered to himself as he listened to her poetic outlook on writing before looking back at her. "I'm not asking you to have an opinion on politics. If there's any politics within the book then they'd be mine and mine alone."

"It's not just the politics, Mr. Stark." Mia told him sincerely. "I'm just confused."

"Confused?" Tony questioned, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion. Mia nodded.

"Yes, I don't know why you're asking me to do this." Mia said as she sought to try and understand Tony Stark's motivation. A task which she was starting to think might be impossible.

"Because you're a good writer." Tony told her as he tried to convince her more. "I read your books and I liked them. You know, as someone who's not into reading works of literature, like myself, you really seem to have a way of um…reaching people. Is reaching people the right word? I don't know. I just liked your books and your characters…they felt real or as real as fictional characters can seem."

"That's not what I meant. I meant that I don't understand your intentions." Mia tried to tell him. "Last week you sent me a two hundred and fifty thousand dollar book. This week you're trying to hire me as a biographer for your book. I don't know what you want."

"Some people would call that being generous." Tony pointed out and Mia shook her head furiously.

"I don't want your generosity." Mia said seriously to him. "It makes me uncomfortable."

"Uncomfortable?" Tony questioned.

"Yes. I'm a person who likes to plan things in advance, Mr. Stark." Mia said and Tony tried not to become annoyed at how insistent she was about calling him "Mr. Stark". He'd rather she didn't. It made him feel older than he wanted to feel around a twenty nine year old woman. "So when you do random and ridiculous things like you've been doing I start panicking. It just makes me nervous."

"How does it make you nervous?" Tony asked her, not at all understanding the woman standing in front of him. "I mean, it's not like I chopped off a dog's head and sent it in a box to your apartment."

"Don't even joke about something like that." Mia told him as she gave him a disgusted look. "What kind of person jokes about a decapitated dog? I'm very much a dog person, Mr. Stark, so don't joke about that."

"My apologies, Snow White." Tony said sarcastically before moving on. "I just don't know why you're making a big deal out of this. All I'm asking you to do is listen to me tell you about my life and then write it down. You'll just being making it look really pretty and nice as you writers do. You're looking at a hefty fortune once this gets to print too."

"I don't care about your money." Mia told him stubbornly. "I already live quite comfortably. My concern is more about what _you_ want _from_ me. I don't believe you when you say that all you want is for me to write your biography."

"This is only about a biography. Nothing else." Tony said although he wasn't quite sure if he believed his own words as much as he wanted to. "Geez. And people think _I'm_ paranoid."

"I'm not paranoid. I'm just being cautious." Mia said defensively. "You're making me feel really uneasy." Tony rolled his eyes.

"Tell me. How exactly is it that I'm making you uneasy?" Tony inquired and Mia swallowed hard before answering.

"It's like when you get that feeling before something bad happens. Only...you don't know what that bad thing is yet which makes everything even more stressful." Mia told him as she rambled on, a nervous habit of hers unlike Tony who rambled constantly. Tony just looked at her in disbelief. "You know what I mean?"

" _I_ make you feel like that? Because I'm asking you to write my biography?" Tony questioned, still not quite understanding her reasoning, and Mia shook her head.

"Because I don't know what you're going to ask me to do next. I don't like having things sprung on me like this." Mia elaborated as Tony just listened to her silently. "What's going to happen next? Are you going to ask me to direct your biopic or something?" A smile made its way across Tony's face as he looked down at the small brunette in amusement. She looked truthfully stressed out by the situation which only continued to amuse Tony.

"I don't think you're qualified to direct my biopic. Scorsese or J J Abrams would be better suited." Tony told her jokingly and Mia found it really hard not to be frustrated with him in that moment. Did he ever take anything seriously? Mia was really starting to wonder. "I'm thinking a nice drama/sci-fi flick. Maybe even a Netflix series. Netflix seems to be doing really well for themselves these days."

"Well, the actor they get to play you should win an Oscar." Mia told him seriously and Tony gave her a delighted look.

"Why thank you-" He started to say but Mia didn't let him finish.

"Because you're crazy." Mia deadpanned. Tony frowned.

"Rude." He told her, unphased by her insult, before he went back on topic. "You don't have anything to worry about from me, McCallum. I promise that my intentions are honest."

"Really?" Mia asked doubtfully and Tony nodded.

"Honest to god. Scout's honor too. Might as well throw scout's honor in there as well." Somehow that didn't make Mia feel any better. Weren't those scientist types all atheists? Or maybe she was just stereotyping…although Mia really didn't think Tony Stark was a man of god. That was the last thing she expected from him.

"I still don't trust anything you say." Mia said honestly, giving him a slightly suspicious look before a calmer look took place. "But I guess I feel a little better about all of this."

"So you'll do it then?" Tony asked excitedly and Mia scoffed.

"This is kind of a big decision, Mr. Stark. I can't make this kind of decision after an hour of talking." Mia told him sincerely. "I'm just letting you know that I'll think about it and let you know."

"I've heard that line before." Tony said, feeling a bit disappointed that she wasn't agreeing right away to write the biography. "And I've also said that line before. It never usually means anything good is to come."

"I'm being honest when I say I'll think about it." Mia told him. She wasn't a business person like he was. So when she said she'd think about it, she really meant it. "You should also think about hiring a more qualified person to write the biography."

"Not an option, Snow White." Tony told her confidently much to Mia's confusion.

"What?" She questioned.

"The only way this biography is getting made is if _you_ write it. I won't do it if it's with anyone else." Tony told her bluntly and Mia swallowed hard as she looked into those nice brown eyes of his. His gaze was unwavering as he stared down at her which caused her heart to race a little faster than before.

"You really are crazy." Mia muttered and Tony just smirked at her.

"Not crazy. I just have a way of getting what I want. One way or another." Tony replied nonchalantly _. In other words you're a middle-aged spoiled brat_ , Mia thought bitterly to herself. God, he was infuriating to talk to. It's like he was so sure she'd say yes to him. His arrogance got on Mia's nerves.

"I'll think about it then." Mia said quietly and Tony grinned at her. He knew it was only a matter of time before she caved in. Tony wasn't worried in the least.

"Great. I'll just leave you to it then. Think away." Tony told her and Mia just shook her head at him.

"I could say no. Don't be so sure I'll say yes. I'd really hate to get your hopes up, Mr. Stark." Mia told him, trying to get him to see that nothing was set in stone yet. She could very well change her mind if she wanted to.

"Yeah, we'll just see about that." Tony said, still sounding very confident much to Mia's annoyance. However, she decided that it wasn't worth it to argue with him any further. Tony Stark was an impossible person to argue with. That was, at least, one thing she could figure out about him. Knowing that there was no point in arguing with him further, Mia held out her hand instead. Tony raised an eyebrow at the gesture.

"What are you doing?" Tony said and Mia just looked back up at him like it was obvious.

"A handshake. Isn't that what business people do?" Mia asked him innocently. "That's what they do on _Mad Men_."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you want, Snow White." Tony said in amusement as he decided to humor her and shake her hand anyways. Mia felt a little short of breath as he wrapped his hand around her very small one and shook it. It didn't help that she found him very handsome despite the fact that his arrogance annoyed her. Mia knew that it was probably only natural that she was attracted to him. He was a celebrity and everyone found celebrities attractive. Right?

The smile then fell off Tony's face in the midst of shaking Mia's very small and dainty hand. It seemed like he finally noticed the ring on her finger. Tony had forgotten that one tiny detail during their conversation. It was only until the thing was staring directly back at him that he remembered. Unlike most women, she seemed to wear both the wedding _and_ engagement ring. Not that it was unusual for women to wear both but it just wasn't a popular thing to see either. Once he saw the rings, however, it was like he couldn't _unsee_ them.

They were there and they were present.

Tony knew for a fact that Mia's husband died three years ago so it made him curious that she still wore her wedding ring. He suddenly wondered why. Did she still feel married to her husband? Was that it? Tony didn't really know how it went with widows and widowers. He had felt the loss of his parents but he didn't know what it was like losing a spouse. Mostly because Tony had never been married in the first place. Not that he wanted to get married but he just wanted to try and understand. He was curious more than anything.

"Mr. Stark, are you alright?" Mia asked him, slightly concerned by the fact that he was still holding onto her hand. He blinked once before he quickly let go. His gaze finally leaving the two rings on her finger.

"Why? Are you feeling concerned, Snow White?" Tony said, shrugging the moment off. Mia gave him an unimpressed look.

"I wouldn't want you to have a heart attack in my publisher's conference room. That would make for some terrible headlines." Mia told him in a light hearted tone. He smiled at her in amusement. It seemed like there was a lot about her that amused him. Maybe it was because he was just starting to get to know Mia McCallum. Maybe the amusement would eventually wear off the more they got to know each other. Tony wasn't sure.

"It would, wouldn't it?" Tony said and it was almost like he was flirting with her. The billionaire swallowed hard because he realized he was getting into dangerous territory. Flirting with a much younger woman was very dangerous. The old Tony would've done a lot more than flirt with a younger woman but he wasn't old Tony anymore. He was different now. God…He could only imagine the things Rhodey or Happy would say if they could see him right now. Flirting with a young woman like Mia wasn't the responsible thing to do and he was a responsible adult now. Well, he was supposed to be at least. Between the Sokovia Accords and the kid, Tony really had to step up to the occasion.

"I should go." Tony finally said after breaking out of his thoughts. He was just _curious_ about her, Tony told himself. She was a very interesting person, after all. Besides…he knew a biography might bump up the approval ratings of the Avengers after the ordeal at the airport and Lagos. That and he got to speak to someone who might've been as lonely as him. Someone who wouldn't look at him like he was losing his mind. Tony saw this as killing two birds with one stone. There was nothing wrong with that.

"Okay." Mia said softly, knowing he was probably right even though he seemed to be in a hurry all of a sudden. She wondered what the rush was. Well, he was Tony Stark and she was fairly sure he must've had a lot of other things to do.

"I sincerely hope you consider my offer." Tony told her. "See you soon, McCallum." He then put his sunglasses back on, giving her one last smile as he approached the door.

"Bye, Mr. Stark." She told him as she smiled back at him. He just nodded as he opened the door to the conference room and quietly slipped out without another word. Mia watched the door close behind him, her thoughts a mess as she processed everything that just happened.

How was this even her life? First Tony Stark sends her a book and now he wants her to write his biography? None of this made any sense and despite his reassurances, Mia still felt uneasy about everything. She didn't really feel like she knew what Tony Stark wanted from her which made her nervous. He seemed nice enough and not as bad as everyone said but Mia didn't know how she felt about writing his biography which would entail spending a lot of time with him and collecting personal information from him. That was a very large commitment to make but on the other hand Carter was right. It's not like she had much else going on.

"How was the talk?" Carter asked as he stepped into the room. Mia broke out of her thoughts and looked up at him. He had an excited look on his face and she determined that he probably passed Tony in the hall. Mia faked a smile before nodding.

"Good…it was good. He made a lot of compelling points." Mia said honestly and Carter looked a bit hopeful at this new information.

"Enough compelling points to make you agree to the book deal?" Carter asked hopefully and Mia shrugged.

"Enough compelling points to make me _consider_ his offer." Mia corrected but Carter didn't look disappointed. He just gave her a knowing look.

"Well, at least that's something." He said optimistically as he threw an arm around Mia's shoulders casually. "I'm just glad you're willing to consider the offer. It's a good deal for the company and I think it'll be good for you too."

"You really think so?" Mia asked him seriously and Carter just smiled before nodding.

"I do." He said reassuringly and it seemed like Mia really had a lot more to consider than she originally thought. She supposed he had a point. This might be good for her. Holly was always saying she needed to get out of the house more and not coop herself up in the apartment. Maybe getting herself another project like this would be a good idea.

"I just need to think about it a bit more. It's a big decision to make." Mia told Carter and the slightly older man nodded in understanding.

"Which is completely understandable. Take all the time you need." Carter said before chuckling. "Just not too much time."

"I know." Mia told him softly. "I'll know in a few days. I promise."

"Good." Carter said to her, sounding satisfied, before continuing to talk excitedly to her. "God…I'm so excited for you, Mia. This is so crazy. I know..."

Mia just tuned him out as she continued to go over the conversation with Tony in her head. Despite how much the billionaire had infuriated her, she did enjoy speaking with him. He didn't seem to treat her like she was fragile like the others. The others who knew how hurt and lost she was because of Michael's death. They always seemed to speak carefully to her but not Tony Stark. She was reminded of what talking to people was like. She was reminded what _normal_ conversations were like. There was no carefully wading into dangerous territory as everyone walked on eggshells around her like she was about to break.

Maybe Mia didn't mind Tony Stark's arrogance and smart ass remarks as much as she thought she had. At least he talked to her like she wasn't broken. Mia already knew she was broken. She didn't need to be reminded of it. Talking to Tony had been nice while it lasted so maybe spending more time with him wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Not that Mia was agreeing to everything yet but she didn't think spending time with him would be bad. Maybe she'd even like spending time with him. Mia then spent the rest of her time at headquarters listening to Carter go on and on about how exciting this was. A smile slowly made its way on her face, a real one, as she became more and more comfortable with the idea of the biography.

Maybe, just maybe, this wouldn't be such a bad thing, after all.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Author's Note: So this chapter doesn't contain Tony. It was going to but I just figured that Mia probably wouldn't make up her mind about the biography that quick and easy. It was always going to take longer. This chapter also contains a flashback at the beginning which takes up half of the chapter. This is probably the longest chapter in the story so far. I promise that Tony's in the next chapter though.**

 **For the readers of my other story, I'm planning on updating _Some Things Never Sleep_ next. I'm about a little less than half way through with the next chapter. I'll either update this story after that or update the rewrite of _Undisclosed_ _Desires_ which is now called _The Palace._**

 **I know there's no Tony in this chapter but in future chapters could you guys maybe tell me whether or not I'm doing a good job with keeping him in character. Usually I think I do a good job but I've never written a story with this much Tony in it so I'm a little worried.**

 **Is anyone watching the new Emma Stone and Jonah Hill show _Maniac_? It's one of the trippiest shows I've seen. I'm only on the fourth or fifth episode so I'm still watching it but it's really interesting so far. I'm also a huge fan of the director because he directed the first season of True Detective which is one of my favorite shows ever(excluding the second season) and he also directed my favorite adaptation of Jane Eyre. **

**Warning: This chapter contains a scene featuring drug abuse.**

 **Athena05: I don't really mind negative reviews about my story but as long as the person tells me why they don't like it. I hate reviews like the one on STNS because the person isn't telling me why they think my story is trash. They just left a one worded rude review to...I don't know be a dick or something. Thank you for your support though and I'm so happy you love the stories.**

 **Snapplecrackles: I totally get what you mean about Tony and Mia. They're both kind of silly in their own right but their attitudes are way different. Tony's Tony and Mia's Mia. Thank you for the support for STNS. I really appreciate it.**

 **Purplestan: Snow White came along because I think Tony just finds Mia very wide eyed and innocent looking. Tony seems to have nicknames for everyone so it just made sense. It's a nickname we'll probably be seeing more of in the future.**

 **Guest: This review was from the last chapter but I didn't get it until late so I'll just respond to it now. I wouldn't say that Mia and Tony aren't getting along so far. Tony just has this way of pushing people's boundaries and Mia's just very wary of him right now. She'll probably grow to like him a little more once she gets to know him better. She's just a little worried about the whole situation with Tony and the biography right now because it's really stressing her out. I'm glad you're liking the slowburn. I always hated reading slowburns in the past because I hated waiting but now I just find that they make for a better story. It's very rare that I'll find a story that isn't a slowburn that I like. If you couldn't tell already, I absolutely love writing slowburns.**

 **Amelia: Providence of the Universe by toniestark. It's a slowburn too and it's honestly one of the best fanfics I've read in a long time. I know I'm always talking about that fanfic on here but I'm really in love with it. Metamorphosis by Jagged Hearts is really good too. If you have any trouble finding them you can find them on the favorites section of my profile page.**

 **heartee: That made me laugh so much. I didn't think anyone noticed Mia's cute moment when she got so worried about getting crumbs on the Hemingway book. Only she would freak out that much. I mean...I would probably panic too but most people wouldn't.**

 **Thanks to WinnieThePoohLover, abstract0118, and Love. Fiction. 2018 for reviewing as well. Thanks to all the favorites and follows. We're currently at just over a hundred follows. Let me know what you think of the chapter.**

* * *

 **2006**

Michael wasn't perfect.

Their relationship wasn't perfect either. Mia was perfectly aware of this even years after his death. After he died she always managed to put him on a pedestal but the truth was that he was far from perfect. The opposite of perfect, actually. He probably wasn't a healthy choice for her either, especially at that age, but she loved him nonetheless. She loved him despite his many faults and even though she probably should've left him, she never did. Mia sometimes wondered if she was just drawn to dangerous and broken people. More than likely but she didn't know why.

It was only about two months into her relationship with Michael that she discovered the truth about him. What he had been hiding from her all this time. It had happened over a conversation she had with Emily. Mia thought the conversation was just girl talk like what she used to hear Holly and her girlfriends back home talking about. Those were the days when Mia's only friends were Holly's friends and wherever Holly went, Mia went too.

"How is it going with Michael by the way?" Emily questioned as the two girls sat in the living room watching TV. It was one of the rare occasions that Emily didn't actually feel like going out. Mia thought it was because Emily got into a fight with some girl over a guy at one of the clubs she frequented. Emily was a big talker so Mia guessed that the wealthy girl wasn't too keen on going back to the club and getting her face clawed out by a Scottish girl.

"It's going really good, actually." Mia said with a happy smile on her face. She and Michael had been on quite a few dates so far in the past couple months. It was still early on in their relationship but Mia thought it was enough to be able to call him her boyfriend. Wow…boyfriend. Mia had never really had a boyfriend before. When she was in the second grade she dated Nick Shulman for three days but then he left her for Melanie Laker. Mia was heartbroken for two hours until her father took her out for ice cream and she forgot all about Nick Shulman. Those were the days when Mia actually had a nice relationship with her father. Before the divorce and before her dad became a total asshole.

Mia had talked a little about her father to Michael who had grown quite uncomfortable with the topic for some reason. Mia didn't really understand why. Maybe he was just afraid at the prospect of meeting her father someday. Some fathers were really overprotective but Mia didn't think her and her father were close enough for that. He'd probably just act like an asshole towards Michael which wasn't out of character for him. Her father was an asshole to everyone. Even so, Mia had tried asking Michael about his family but he didn't really give her a lot of information. She thought maybe he just had problems with his family like she had problems with hers. However, she never thought the issue would be more complicated than that.

Mia was gravely mistaken.

"So you've had sex then?" Emily asked her bluntly as she continued to paint her toe nails a startling shade of blue. Mia blushed at the blunt question.

"Well, no…not exactly." Mia told the blonde shyly. "We've kissed a few times though."

"Oh my god, Mia. You've kissed? Really?" Emily said sarcastically before taking a big sip of her glass of scotch. She then gave the brunette a more curious look as she noticed the way she blushed even more. A look of realization then came over her face. "You've never had sex before, have you? You're a virgin. I should've fucking known."

"I already told you that I've never had a boyfriend before." Mia said shyly and Emily just shook her head.

"Just because you've never had a boyfriend before doesn't mean that you couldn't have had sex." Emily told her friend and Mia just stared at her incredulously as the blonde began to pull a single cigarette out of a pack of a probably expensive brand that Mia didn't recognize. Mia wrinkled her nose in disgust as the girl lit her cigarette before taking a long drag from it.

Emily's bad habits were always a pet peeve of Mia's. From her large amounts of binge drinking to her smoking habit and even the times that Mia would catch the blonde smoking weed. Mia didn't know why she was friends with this girl. She didn't know if it was because she was afraid Emily would die if she left or if it was because she found her morbidly interesting. Mia would never know.

"It does for me. I don't want to have sex with a random stranger. I want my first time to be more romantic than that…with someone I care about." Mia said quietly and Emily immediately started laughing at her.

"Did you write that down in your diary when you were thirteen?" Emily questioned sarcastically again before shaking her head in amusement before exhaling and blowing out smoke. The expensive cigarette smoke wafted through the air. It smelled both sweet and bitter. "It's actually pretty ironic considering who the man you're dating is." Mia gave her friend a confused look as she said that.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mia questioned and Emily just looked at her.

"Come on, you know exactly what I mean." Emily told her and Mia shook her head, still not having a clue as to what her friend was talking about.

"I don't think I do, Emily." Mia told her. Emily scoffed.

"Mia, you do know Michael's not as innocent as yourself, right?" Emily questioned and Mia blushed once more.

"Well, I might've guessed it. He's a few years older than me, after all. I guess I assumed that he's probably been with a couple girls in the past." Mia told her friend and Emily scoffed.

"That's the understatement of the year." Emily replied but she was only making Mia more confused.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Mia told her and Emily just raised her eyebrows.

"Mia, your little boyfriend's sure made his way across town. I'm just saying." Emily told her and deep down Mia knew what she was talking about but she didn't want to admit it to herself.

"How would you know?" Mia asked as she glared at her friend but Emily didn't look deterred.

"I've known Michael for years." Emily told her much to Mia's surprise. The brunette's eyes widened as she felt at a loss for words.

"What?" She questioned and Emily nodded as she took another drag from her cigarette.

"Well, you know how it is with all the families. All the wealthy and pretentious snobs." Emily explained casually. "While all our parents were off sucking up to each other, all the children would be sectioned off into whatever playroom they saw fit."

"How could you have known Michael? I thought your father was some lord and lived in Mr. Darcy's house." Mia said, still trying to make sense of everything. Emily snorted.

"My family lives at Beaumont Hall. We have nothing to do with Mr. Darcy because Mr. Darcy's a fictional character." Emily informed Mia before the conversation took a more surprising turn. "And…well, Michael's father is a lord too. Lord Timothy Orson Andrew McCallum of Chaddleworth House in Mildenshire." Mia's mouth dropped open in surprise.

"Excuse me?!" Mia said, feeling her heart racing in her chest at what her friend just told her. Emily didn't seem disturbed by this news as she then took a big sip of her scotch.

"He never told you?" Emily asked but she didn't seem bothered either way. Mia just shook her head furiously, completely floored at this new information. "He's from one of England's wealthiest and oldest families."

"That can't be right." Mia said as she tried to deny what Emily was telling her. "Michael's not English. He's Scottish."

"His mother's Scottish and he was born and raised here in Scotland but his father's as English as they come." Emily informed her much to Mia's disbelief.

"His father's English?" Mia asked as she tried to get a grasp on this but she was having a difficult time processing everything. The man she considered to be her boyfriend never told her any of this. He never even gave her the slightest indication that he came from a wealthy or even noble family. Mia never got that vibe from him either. He didn't act like how she thought a son of a lord would act. That was for certain.

"Well, I'm sure he possibly has some Scottish ancestry somewhere with a name like McCallum but yes…his father's certainly English. Not to mention a complete cold hearted bastard." Emily said as she began to ramble on as she always did whenever she was drunk. "That man is the strangest man I've ever met in my life. I was always so terrified of him when I was a child…well, I'm still terrified. I think everyone's terrified of that man."

"I don't understand this." Mia said softly as she looked back up at Emily, starting to feel hurt that she had to find all this out from her friend instead of her boyfriend. "I never got the impression from him that he came from money. He works as a bartender and he shares an apartment with two other guys. I always thought he was the starving artist type."

"That's because his parents cut him off." Emily said as she spilled more of Michael's past to Mia. "No one knows exactly what happened but a couple years ago he left home and they just cut him off. Some people say it's because he decided to study art instead of something more practical but I think that's rubbish."

"You do?" Mia questioned, becoming more and more invested in Emily's information about Michael. "Why?"

"Because it's not like any one of us ever studies something practical. Mia, you'll find that most of our families spend our days sitting around and doing absolutely nothing." Emily told her honestly. "It's different than your American elites like Tony Stark or Justin Hammer, for instance. That's all new money…hard earned money. People who still work for their own wealth." Emily only briefly paused as she continued to explain the way things were in her family to Mia.

"We're old money. We spend our whole lives doing absolutely nothing and living off the wealth and titles of our ancestors." Emily said casually as Mia hung onto her every word. "Some of us are not even wealthy anymore. Some of us just have titles which is all we have left."

"So you don't think that's why he was cut off? Because he's an artist?" Mia inquired and Emily shook her head.

"No. I don't see why it would matter either way. His parents never cared before." Emily sighed as she considered her theories thoughtfully before continuing. "No, I think that it's something else. He and his parents always had a complicated relationship. I think kids like us all have complicated relationships with our parents but with him it was different. I don't know."

"I just can't believe any of this. I thought you only knew Michael from the bar." Mia said as she shook her head in disbelief although Mia was very interested in what Michael's deal was with his parents. This was all just so overwhelming for her. "I never thought you actually knew him since childhood."

"I didn't know him well." Emily insisted, trying to make her friend feel a little better about not knowing about any of this. "I only spent time with him when we went on holiday at Michael's parent's house here in Scotland. Probably every other summer but we never got on very well. He was always so miserable and quiet. Definitely not my sort of scene."

"You didn't um…sleep with him, did you?" Mia asked quietly although she really wondered what could've made Michael so miserable as a child. Emily just stared at her for a minute before scoffing as she looked at her friend in disbelief.

"Me and Michael?" Emily questioned incredulously. "No, of course not. What a ridiculous thing to say. He's not my type at all. A bit too wild for my liking and coming from me that's saying a lot."

"Really?" Mia questioned. "And when you say wild, just how wild are you talking about?" Emily stopped herself from taking another drag from her cigarette as she gave her friend another odd look. She couldn't believe Mia.

"Has he seriously not told you anything about any of this?" Emily asked her and Mia blushed before shaking her head. "He really has no idea how to go about this relationship thing. Poor Michael. He was always fucking clueless."

"Just tell me." Mia finally said because she was really starting to get the feeling that whatever Michael was hiding wasn't just his family. She was starting to feel like that was only half of it. Emily sighed heavily as she finally became serious which was rare for the blonde.

"You should know he has a lot of problems, Amelia. I'm actually pretty fucking pissed that he's lied to you about all of this." Emily said as she looked up at the brunette with sad eyes. Mia just stared back at her, her heart racing, because she didn't know how to feel. She didn't know what to expect either. "You're a nice person but you're also very naïve."

"Michael's…well, I don't particularly know how to put this." Emily said as she tried to find the right words but then discovered that there probably wasn't any right words. Mia just watched her in confusion, trying to piece this puzzle together. "He's got a problem. A lot of problems actually."

"A problem?" Mia questioned and Emily nodded.

"A drug problem…but alcohol too." Emily informed her much to Mia's astonishment. "I'm not talking about my level of alcohol problems. It's not going out all night and partying hard. He legitimately has a lot of problems."

"What? Like weed and booze?" Mia asked her, her eyes wide with fear and hurt. Emily gave her a sympathetic look before slowly shaking her head.

"I'm afraid not, Amelia." Emily told her quietly. "I was referring to cocaine, heroin, pills…just lots of pills and who knows what else he puts into his body." Emily paused as she looked back over at Mia who looked utterly stunned and hurt by this news.

"I'm so sorry, Mia. I thought maybe he would've told you he had a problem." Emily said softly. "It's not fair to you that he hid it. You don't deserve this."

Mia tried to process what her friend was telling her. A part of her didn't want to believe it. She didn't want to believe the fact that her boyfriend was a junkie. None of it made sense to her. Not Michael. Not Michael who was sweet yet cocky. Michael who was overtly romantic and always made her feel like the prettiest girl in the room. Michael who Mia was falling for. This couldn't be right. This had to be some kind of nightmare or mistake.

"This doesn't make sense." Mia said in disbelief but she was mostly just talking to herself at this point. "That can't be true. He's not a…junkie. He's _Michael_. Michael's never shown any signs. He's happy, nice…and he's functional. I…"

"He hasn't acted odd lately?" Emily asked her as she raised an eyebrow doubtfully. Mia was about to reply no when she stopped herself. She never really thought anything of it before but there did happen to be a couple of times that he acted odd. Jittery or maybe even anxious. Mia suddenly felt sick…like her whole world was being flipped upside down. Did she even know who Michael McCallum was? Mia wasn't sure anymore.

"Yes. I think so." Mia said quietly, still sounding quite lost but also shocked. Her eyes were flooding with tears and she felt betrayed. She had been lied to by someone she really cared about. "Oh my god. I'm so stupid, aren't I?"

"No. It's not your fault. You didn't know." Emily told her, trying to reassure Mia. "It's Michael's own stupid fault. He should've told you or made it clear to you from the beginning."

"This is so typical." Mia said bitterly through the tears. "The first guy I actually like…the first guy I start falling for and this happens. I just feel like the person you're talking about and the person I've been getting to know these past couple months are two completely different people."

"That happens a lot with addicts." Emily said calmly but she didn't think she was making the brunette feel any better about the situation. "I always liked Michael better when he was sober Michael. That's probably the Michael you've been dating. Drunk and high Michael is a different person."

"What do I even do now?" Mia said at a loss for what she was supposed to do. When Holly talked boys with her she never told Mia what to do if you found out your boyfriend was the son of some lord and was also a drug addict. What was a person supposed to even do in a situation like this? Mia didn't have a clue.

"What do you _want_ to do?" Emily asked her and Mia was speechless. She didn't have an answer for Emily because she honestly had no idea. Her boyfriend was apparently a junkie and had been lying to her ever since they first met. Mia felt utterly betrayed. Maybe even more so than when her father left but this couldn't be compared to that. This was different and maybe that's what hurt. Mia didn't know for sure about anything right now but she knew she'd never get the answers she needed unless she went to Michael herself.

Michael was the only person who could give her the answers she needed.

* * *

So Mia found herself at Michael's apartment an hour later. She had never been to Michael's apartment before but maybe this was why. Michael was hiding this whole other life from her. She didn't know how she felt at this point. There was a whole combination of emotions swirling inside of her. Anger, hurt, betrayal, and even confusion. Those were all the emotions that seemed to take priority of everything else.

Emily had informed Mia that Michael and his roommates kept a spare key under the doormat to their apartment so Mia didn't even bother knocking. She wanted to get the jump on Michael. A part of her hoped that this was all some kind of nightmare and Michael would tell her that she was crazy. That none of this was true and Emily was playing some horrible prank on her. Mia didn't want Emily to be right about this. She wanted more than anything for Emily to be wrong. However, it was seldom that Mia ever got what she wanted.

The brunette walked through the front door of the apartment after unlocking it with the hidden key. It was dark in the apartment but also quiet. At first Mia thought that maybe Michael and his roommates weren't home. She thought he might've already left for work or something like that. But she was wrong. He was home. He was home and he wasn't in a state Mia had ever seen him in.

Michael was lying on the couch and any other person would've assumed he was sound asleep. It was only then that Mia saw what was lying on the table in front of the couch where her boyfriend was sleeping. Her eyes widened in horror at the sight of what must've been some kind of drug on the table. Mia wasn't sure what kind of drug it was. Possibly a pill of some kind smashed up and lines drawn with the remnants across the surface. Mia had never seen drugs in real life. Well, she had seen Emily smoking weed in the apartment a couple of times but Mia just ignored her and stayed inside her bedroom. Emily complained of her being a goody goody but Mia just didn't want anything to do with drugs.

"What the fuck?!" Mia finally said as she looked from the obvious evidence of drug use and over to her boyfriend on the couch. Michael groaned as he lazily opened his eyes and looked up at her.

"Amelia…is that you?" Michael asked her as a smile began to make its way across his face. It was clear to Mia that he must've been very high. He didn't seem concerned at all that she was at his apartment and was now seeing him in the state he was. Not to mention the fact that his eyes were blood shot. Mia was starting to think that maybe he hadn't been asleep. Maybe he had passed out from whatever he just took.

"No shit, it's me. Oh my god, Michael. What is this?" Mia said, finally voicing the anger and frustration that had slowly been building up inside her all night. Michael was clearly in a dazed state as he lazily looked around the room, his movements slow and long.

"What…are you…doing here?" He asked slowly, practically slurring his words. Mia just looked at him in disbelief, still not believing that this was happening. Despite everything Emily told her and everything she was seeing right now, she still couldn't believe it. This wasn't the charming and cocky Michael she had seen on dates. The one who flirted with her all night and held doors open for her like a true gentlemen. This was someone else. That much was clear.

"Emily was right." Mia said but she was really just talking to herself at this point. "She was right. You do have a problem."

"No…I'm fine." He continued to slur and Mia just shook her head furiously as she scoffed.

"You're not fine. Look at you." Mia said angrily, enraged that she had been lied to…that the person she thought she might've been falling for might not be real. Prince Charming might've just been a clever ruse but most of all she was hurt because it hurt to see someone you cared about in a state like this.

"I don't know what you're…talking about." Michael said slowly and it clear to her he was beyond high at this point. Mia worried about what drug he had taken. What if it was something really bad? What if he overdosed? Mia didn't know anything about drugs. Just what she had seen in movies.

"It looks like fucking Scarface in here." Mia hissed. Usually Mia never swore this much or even got this angry but she was beyond pissed at this point. She had been lied to and deceived for far too long to not be pissed. Mia was starting to wonder if there was any part of their relationship that wasn't a lie.

"Just go home. I'll be fine." He tried to tell her but Mia knew that she couldn't do that. She didn't know what she had been planning to do when she came down here. Mia hadn't even had anything planned to say which was unusual for her since she usually had everything planned. She just thought she'd confront him and demand the truth. Mia never expected to actually find him in this state and now that she was faced with Michael high, on whatever kind of drug he took, she knew she couldn't leave him. If she left then he might overdose and Mia didn't want that. Despite how angry she was at him, she knew she cared about him a lot. Mia thought she might've even been in love with him.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to call an ambulance." Mia told him and Michael waved his hand dismissively before it fell limply to his side.

"Don't do that. It's not a big deal." Michael told her much to Mia's disbelief and disgust. "This isn't my first time, love." Mia didn't know if she liked him calling her "love". It was something he seemed to call her on occasion but she didn't think she liked him calling her that in the state he was in. It was wrong. It was like someone else calling her that name.

"Michael, you're not okay. You need to see a doctor." Mia said, trying to be responsible even though all she wanted to do was yell at him and be angry with him. She couldn't do that right now. He clearly wasn't well. "What did you take?"

"Nothing." He mumbled and Mia glared at him furiously.

"What. Did. You. Take?" Mia asked again, her voice more firm and cold than the last time. Even in the that state he was in, Michael must've detected that she was pissed because he answered her this time.

"Quaaludes." Michael said softly and Mia stared back at him in confusion. Mia didn't recognize the name of the drug. Mia had no idea what Quaaludes were. She had never heard the name before tonight. "I've taken them before. It's nothing to worry about."

"I need to take you to a doctor." Mia said abruptly. She didn't know what else to do. She didn't know if this was a very dangerous drug or if it was something you could get at a pharmacy. Mia didn't know.

"No…I'm fine." He tried to tell her and Mia was becoming angry with him again. She shook her head.

"You're not fine, Michael. You're clearly not fine." Mia said as she struggled not to yell at him. "I can barely understand anything you're saying right now."

"Don't…no doctor." Michael told her slowly. "My parents cannot find out."

"You could die! You know that?!" Mia said, her voice rising in frustration at the fact that Michael was concerned about his parents finding out of all things. She took a deep breath as she fought to control her anger.

"You could die, Michael. I don't know what Quaaludes are but I'm guessing they're not safe." Mia said more calmly this time. It was then that he gave her a more pleading and desperate look. Mia swallowed hard as she could feel herself suddenly melting at the sight of those sad beautiful blue eyes. He looked like he was in so much pain. That really stunned Mia who never would've guessed that the happy and confident Michael McCallum could be in so much pain. He never gave her that impression but Mia supposed that maybe she didn't know him as well as she thought she did.

"Just stay with me." He pleaded and Mia began to feel herself caving into him because he looked so lonely…so lost. It was like he needed her and Mia was too scared to even think about leaving him in that moment. "Please stay."

"Michael, I don't know…" She trailed off softly. Michael seemed to sense that she was slowly caving into him because he reached out and grabbed her hand. Her small hand fitting perfectly into his much larger one. This was something he had done on many dates. It was a loving gesture but this time it was different. This time his hand wasn't warm and comforting. This time his hand was basked in cold sweat.

"Please." He begged and just like that, Mia caved into him. She didn't think she had much strength in her otherwise. She was practically in love with him and he was in pain. Mia thought she would've done anything for him at that point. Anything to make him feel safe and happy.

"Okay." She finally relented although deep down she knew it was wrong for her to do this. Mia really should've taken him to a hospital or maybe she should've even called his parents for help but she didn't. She didn't do the right thing because he didn't want her to. Michael would always have that kind of power over her. Even in the future. It wasn't something that he intentionally did nor was he a controlling lover. Michael McCallum just happened to be Mia's number one weakness. Maybe she just loved him too much. Maybe that was the problem. She got punished for loving someone too much because maybe you weren't supposed to love someone that much.

"Thank you." He said in content but Mia wasn't comforted by this. She knew deep down that this wasn't the right thing to do but she did it anyways. So Mia just stayed with him like he requested. There was several times during the night that she thought that he wasn't breathing but only to find out that she was mistaken. Each time she had one of those scares, she felt like her heart was going to fly out of her chest. The stress and panic over wondering whether or not her boyfriend had overdosed was too much to bear. She couldn't focus on anything other than the pattern of his breathing.

The small brunette, in the midst of her panicked state, had time to think over her current predicament as she spent the whole night watching her boyfriend to make sure he hadn't died. She spent the whole night wondering if this was what it was like to date an addict. Well, she supposed most addict's girlfriends must've been addicts themselves but this was the single most stressful and terrifying experience Mia had ever faced in her sheltered life. Nothing her parents had ever taught her could've ever prepared her for something like this.

Mia wondered if this was what life with Michael was going to be like. Would it just consume of her constantly making sure he hadn't overdosed and died? Mia didn't know if she could do that. Had she originally planned to break-up with Michael after hearing about all the lies he told her? Maybe. Mia hadn't exactly been sure then but maybe she was sure now. She knew she cared about him a lot and she might've even loved him but she didn't think she could do this. She didn't think she could just stay by his side and watch him destroy himself like this.

So when morning came, Mia had already made up her mind. She was cleaning the dishes in the kitchen when he had finally come out of the bathroom after taking a shower. He was still a bit out of it but definitely way more sober and coherent than before. He looked more like the Michael she was accustomed to. Not like the Michael she had seen last night.

"I'm guessing we should probably talk?" Michael said quietly as he leaned against the doorway of the kitchen. He seemed both embarrassed and hesitant. Mia fought the urge to make a sarcastic remark as she glared down at the dishes in the sink.

"You lied to me." She said abruptly which caused Michael to tense up as he looked at her. He had never seen Mia angry before. He wondered if this was her being angry. Michael was guessing it was. She looked absolutely livid. "For these past two months all you've done is lie to me."

"That's not true. I haven't-" He started to say but Mia interrupted him as she gave him a look of disbelief.

"Oh, so you haven't lied to me about being the son of Lord what's his name from Derbeyshire or whatever the hell it's called?!" Mia said angrily, clearly pissed off that Michael had lied to her so much. She felt stupid and she felt hurt by the fact that she didn't even know who her boyfriend was. "You haven't lied to me about this drug addiction you seem to have either? Those weren't lies?"

"I never told you about my parents because I'm not exactly in a good place with them right now." Michael told her and it was evident that he could see the sense behind all the lies. However, Mia just couldn't understand why he lied. "As for…my problem. Well, it's quite easy to quit. People always make a huge deal about quitting but it's not that hard."

"It's not that hard to quit?!" Mia questioned as she stepped away from the sink and slowly made her way over to him. "If it's not so hard then why are you still doing it? The way Emily was talking, it sounds to me like it's a hell of a lot more than just a simple problem. You're an addict."

"I can manage it." Michael told her stubbornly and Mia just scoffed as she shook her head in disbelief. "It doesn't control me. I'm fine."

"When has drugs ever not controlled a person?" Mia said and Michael just glared at her. "You're clearly not fine, Michael."

"Look, you don't know what you're talking about. You're just a sheltered little girl living in a bubble your parents put you in." Michael accused and Mia was taken back at the way he was speaking to her. He never talked to her like this before. He never sounded so bitter and…well, mean. "You know nothing because mummy and daddy kept you protected and sheltered. Not all of us are so lucky to have parents like that."

"That might be true." Mia said as she glared back at the much taller and imposing man. "My parents might've kept me in a bubble and I'll admit that I've never smoked a joint or so much as a cigarette in my life but I know what I saw last night, Michael." His gaze softened as tears flooded the small brunette's eyes. He knew then that he had hurt her a lot which was something he never wanted to do.

"Five times. Five times I thought you had stopped breathing and I didn't know what to do." Mia said, sounding terrified as a lone tear fell down her face. It seemed like the lone tear was the one to cause the next avalanche of tears that then streamed down her face. "I should've called an ambulance or taken you to the hospital but I didn't because you begged me not to. You shouldn't have asked me to do that. You could've died."

"I'm still here, aren't I?" Michael said almost coldly and Mia slapped him. She didn't know what made her do it. She was never a violent person and Mia had never so much as raised a hand to anyone in her entire life but something about his response pushed her over the edge. It was like he didn't care whether or not he died. That was what pissed Mia off the most.

Michael stood there in surprise as he felt a stinging sensation across his cheek. It was a miracle that Mia had even been able to slap him in the first place. He was a lot taller than her and she shouldn't have been able to reach his face but somehow she had. Mia stood there in shock too because she was surprised that she had even done it. It took a moment for her to collect her thoughts.

"You might not care about what happens to you but I do." Mia told him quietly as a guilty look came across Michael's face. He knew that he was causing her a great amount of pain which was never his intention. "I just can't stand by and watch you do this to yourself. I-I care about you, Michael. I can't force you to stop doing this but I can't stay here either."

"Are you saying you want to break up?" Michael asked her, his voice full of fear at the prospect. Mia slowly nodded as she looked up at him and locked eyes with his.

"I think so." Mia told him even though it hurt to speak the words aloud. She didn't want to break up with him. Not when she was falling in love with him but she didn't have a choice. Mia was only nineteen and she didn't think she was mature enough to handle someone who obviously needed a caretaker. He needed help but Mia didn't think she could be the person to help him.

"Please don't say that, love." Michael pleaded with her and Mia had to force herself to look away from him. "Please don't leave me. I'll get clean. I promise. It'll be easy…you'll see." Mia just shook her head.

"It can't just be for me, Michael." Mia said as she tried to stop the tears from escaping but it was no use at this point. There was no point in not crying. "You need to do this for yourself. Living like this isn't healthy. You're going to end up dead if you keep doing this."

"I know. I know." Michael said as he desperately pleaded for her to stay. Anything to just stop her from leaving him. She was the best thing in his life. His life was shitty up until she showed up. Michael knew that she might be the one to save him but she couldn't save him if he had already fucked this relationship up. "I'll stop though. I promise. Please…just please don't leave."

"I'm not the right person for you. I can't help you. I'm nineteen and I don't know how." Mia told him honestly, fear in her eyes. She wasn't scared for herself. No, she was scared for Michael. Scared at what could happen to him. Mia wanted to help but she couldn't. She could end up making this much worse for him. Mia was just too young. "You need real help, Michael. Rehab or maybe your family can help you. People who care about you."

"My family doesn't give a shit about me." Michael said bitterly and Mia was starting to think his issues didn't just end with the drugs and alcohol. Maybe it was bigger than that. Maybe it all connected back to something else. "They don't care and the feeling's mutual. It's you that I care about and I know you feel the same way. I-I think I might even be falling for you." Mia flinched when he said that.

"Don't say that." She told him and she could feel herself on the verge of breaking down and fully sobbing at this point. The feeling of betrayal was lingering and it was clear that the feeling wasn't going to leave any time soon. "Please don't say that."

"Why not?" Michael questioned as he frowned at her. Mia blinked away some of the tears before she looked back up at him.

"Because I can't know if you really mean it. I don't know if it's you or the drugs talking." Mia said, pain and sadness lingering in her voice. She was hurt that he would say something like that because it felt like he was playing with her emotions. Mia knew she felt the same way about him but the difference was that she was sober. Michael wasn't. "I don't even think I know you."

"How could you say such a thing?" Michael questioned as he looked down at her, clearly hurt by her statement. "Of course you know me. We've spent the past two months together. That's plenty of time to get to know a person."

"You lied to me for those past two months." Mia told him in disbelief. "Is there anything about you that wasn't a lie? You lied to me about your family and you kept this drug addiction from me too."

"I didn't want to hurt you." Michael said softly and Mia just shook her head.

"But you _have_ hurt me, Michael. You've hurt me by lying. I've never felt this way about anyone else. Not once yet you've hurt me so much." Mia said and Michael felt guilty. He felt guilty because he thought he had been protecting her by lying to her but he knew he had made the situation even worse. Michael was a person with a lot of problems and he had no business dragging Mia into it. Mia who was kind, sweet, and honest. She was innocent and yet he had been so selfish that he couldn't stay away from her.

"I'm sorry." Michael apologized but sorry wasn't enough. Not for Mia.

"I can't do this, Michael. You need help but not from me." She told him sadly. Breaking up with him was hard but she knew that she was doing the right thing. At this point Michael didn't think anything he said would be able to stop her from leaving. Her mind was already made up.

"I should leave." Mia said a moment later when Michael didn't respond. She started to walk past him to the front door and he didn't try to stop her this time. Mia briefly paused, her hand on the door knob, as she looked back at him. Her gaze was soft as she looked at a man who was clearly broken on the inside but kept up appearances on the outside. "Please take care of yourself, Michael."

And with that, Mia walked out the door. Her heart was hammering inside her chest as she left his apartment because she never realized how difficult breaking up with someone could be. Maybe it wasn't like that with everyone. Maybe Mia just found it difficult because of how much she cared for Michael…how much it hurt seeing him like that and knowing that she couldn't help him. She wasn't that naïve. Mia knew she wasn't mature enough to help him and that he needed someone else to help him. She just hoped that he took her advice and hopefully didn't ignore her. Mia didn't think she could take it if anything ever happened to him.

This wasn't the end of their relationship though.

It was only the beginning. Mia would go to London with Emily for her summer internship with Cosmopolitan before returning for the new school year in Edinburgh. She thought she had left Michael behind but when she came back, he would be a new person. A new person with new promises but issues beyond Mia's comprehension. The smart thing would've been for her to move on but Mia was only kidding herself at that point. She was already in love with him. Staying away from Michael was a useless concept and Mia never regretted taking him back. She didn't think she ever would even if the end result caused her a lot of pain.

Mia had zero regrets when it came to loving Michael.

* * *

 **2016**

It was a few days after the meeting with Tony Stark and Mia still hadn't quite come up with a decision over what to do. She was currently debating whether or not she should take the man up on his offer or just turn him down. Mia wanted to say that her life was too busy to just simply go off and write his biography but that would be a lie. Her life was the opposite of busy which was something that became obvious to her as she sat across from her old friend at an expensive restaurant in Manhattan. It was quite a ways away from Brooklyn but Mia made the trip because she hadn't seen her friend in ages.

"So Felipe took me to this little paradise on the west side of the island and you should've seen it, Mia. Oh, it was so lovely. You would've loved it." Emily Blackstone told her as she told Mia about one of her many adventures. The blonde seemed to have a lot of adventures and spent most of her time traveling across the world and vacationing. Mia supposed that's what the descendants of English nobility did. She couldn't really say. "The water was the deepest of blue…just spectacular. Felipe showed me this cute little coral reef and then we headed back to the resort by nightfall. It was all so romantic, Amelia."

"Everything's romantic to you, Emily." Mia said as she smiled at her friend. "I can't think of a single story of yours that hasn't contained some kind of romantic Casanova in it. You always seem to find some guy wherever you go. It's really amazing."

"I haven't found a guy _everywhere_ I've been." Emily retorted and Mia gave her a doubtful look. However, Emily wasn't offended. This was just how their normal teasing went. Mia would make fun of Emily for her adventurous and lavish lifestyle while Emily would make fun of Mia for her boring lifestyle.

"Anyways…enough about me. How are you doing? How are Holly and the kids?" Emily inquired but Mia knew Emily could really give a shit less about Holly's kids. She was just miserably attempting to be polite.

"Holly and the kids are doing amazing, actually. Alyssa's about to finish first grade and Finn's going to start kindergarten next year." Mia told her and Emily just nodded, clearly not caring about Mia's niece and nephew.

"Good. What about you? What's going on in the famous Amelia McCallum's life?" Emily questioned as she smirked at her friend. Mia just rolled her eyes at the English girl.

"Just the usual." Mia answered as she glanced down at her plate nervously. "Working on the book and screenplay."

"Oh, you mean the book that you've been working on for as long as I can remember?" Emily questioned sarcastically. "And the screenplay no one cares about?" Mia glared at her friend.

"It's a long process, okay? The book just needs a little more time." Mia said defensively but Emily didn't look fazed by her friend's annoyance. "As for the screenplay…well, it pays the bills."

"Oh, please. You and I both know you don't need the money. You're just using that screenplay as a distraction." Emily told her and Mia wondered how she knew her that well. She always thought Emily never paid attention to anything other than herself but maybe she was wrong.

"Something else interesting happened." Mia said, badly wanting to change the subject. She didn't need another lecture about her sanity from Emily of all people. Mia had already gotten multiple lectures from Holly, Carter, and her mother. She didn't want to add Emily to the list too.

"Really?" Emily questioned as she looked at the brunette in interest. Mia nodded and she felt relieved to have her friend's attention on something other than the book or screenplay.

"Yes." Mia said before deciding to discuss the issue of Tony Stark with someone other than Carter or Holly. "The publishing company wants me to write a biography."

"A biography?" Emily questioned, seeming confused by this notion. "I wasn't aware that biographies were really your…thing."

"That's what I told them but they really want me to write this biography." Mia said as she agreed with her friend.

"And who will you be writing biography about?" Emily inquired and Mia took a deep breath before answering. She knew this whole biography thing wasn't exactly an easy topic of conversation. It was both ridiculous and almost impossible to believe.

"Tony Stark." Mia said quietly and Emily's eyes widened as she looked at her friend in surprise. She immediately set her glass of wine down on the table, clearly not quite comprehending what her friend just told her.

"Tony Stark?" Emily questioned, feeling at a loss of words. "Like _the_ Tony Stark? Like _Iron Man_ Tony Stark?"

"The very same one." Mia replied but her voice was void of any amusement. She still clearly didn't appreciate the way the eccentric billionaire had flipped her world upside down.

"You're talking about an unauthorized biography, right?" Emily questioned and Mia shook her head.

"No, it's a real one. He actually came down to Random House Headquarters in person a few days ago." Mia told her as she recollected the event. "He really wants me to write this biography for some reason."

"Why you?" Emily questioned and Mia shrugged.

"We met at a charity auction a couple weeks ago but I don't think that's it. I don't really know why he wants me to write this book." Mia mentioned and Emily's eyes widened once more at this information.

"Did you sleep with him?" Emily asked her bluntly and Mia looked up at her friend in shock.

"What?" She questioned.

"After the auction…did you have sex with him or something? Maybe that's why." Emily elaborated but Mia was evidently not amused by her friend's suggestion. She glared at Emily as she scoffed.

"I did _not_ sleep with Tony Stark. I don't make a habit of going around and sleeping with celebrities like _some_ people in this room." Mia said as she gave her a friend a pointed look but Emily wasn't the least bit offended.

"Slut shaming much?" She retorted and Mia rolled her eyes.

"I'm not slut shaming. I'm just saying that I don't have to sleep my way up to the top for work." Mia told her friend. "I've built up my career as a writer on my own merit. I certainly didn't need any help from anyone and especially not by sleeping with famous rich men. I'm not Christine Everhart."

"Who the fuck's Christine Everhart?" Emily questioned and Mia sighed heavily.

"Never mind." Mia said before continuing. "Anyways…I really have no clue why he wants me to write this biography but he does for some reason. This whole thing has really been stressing me out. His intentions are…questionable."

"Are you going to do it?" Emily asked her as Mia looked back at the blonde. "Are you going to write the biography?" Mia sighed once more.

"I really don't know, Emily. I mean…it might be different if I had never met him before." Mia told Emily honestly as she collected her thoughts over the matter at hand. "That way his motives wouldn't be suspicious since he couldn't possibly know me but it's just weird."

"What's weird about it?" Emily asked, not completely understanding what had her friend in such a state of panic.

"It's just weird that he wants me to write his biography after meeting for fifteen minutes at a charity auction weeks ago." Mia said before telling Emily another weird part about this whole ordeal with Tony Stark. "You know, he sent me a two hundred and fifty thousand dollar book last week too?"

"What?" Emily questioned and Mia nodded.

"That's right. He sent me probably one of the most expensive things I've ever touched in my entire life. It was a first edition signed copy of _A Farewell to Arms_." Mia explained and Emily rolled her eyes at her. "He just sent it to me like it was an iTunes giftcard. Who does that?"

"You're such a dork, Amelia. A book? You're freaking out over a book?" Emily questioned and Mia shook her head in exasperation.

"It was a book worth a quarter of a million dollars." Mia defended and Emily had to give her that.

"Right. Well, that is a little strange." Emily admitted reluctantly. "I mean, the only times guys send me expensive gifts is when they want to sleep with me but no man has ever sent me that much of an expensive gift. Although, I think I would file a restraining order against them if someone sent me a book. That's quite possibly the lamest gift idea I've ever heard of."

"Well, it was actually kind of sweet of him to do that. You see, Ernest Hemingway is one of my favorite authors and I tried to bid on the book at the-" Mia said, unknowingly starting to defend Tony Stark's actions and Emily interrupted her with a wide smirk on her face.

"Look at you, Amelia. You're half way in love with the man already." Emily told her smugly and Mia blushed. "If all it took was for a man to send you a book then I would've had those guys, I set you up with, send you all the books of your heart's desire ages ago."

"I'm not in love with Tony Stark." Mia muttered as she glared at Emily. "I'm just saying that while the gift was ridiculous and expensive, it was actually very thoughtful of him."

"Thoughtful, was it?" Emily questioned, the smirk on her face unwavering. "Look, no one will judge you for being sexually attracted to Tony Stark. Most women are." Mia groaned at her friend's immaturity. Emily really hadn't changed much since they were in college together.

"He's old, Emily. I'm not sexually attracted to someone who's almost my dad's age." Mia argued but this didn't faze the blonde.

"Well, you do have a lot of issues with your dad so it would probably make sense if you were looking for a-" Emily started to say but Mia interrupted her with a disgusted look on her face.

"I don't have daddy issues, Emily. Don't be disgusting." Mia said angrily before shaking her head as she started to wonder how they had come to this. "How did we even get from talking about a biography to daddy issues?"

"You're the one who said you found him attractive." Emily told her as she shrugged nonchalantly. Mia scoffed.

"I never said that. You did." Mia argued before shaking her head once more but this time in disbelief, realizing that there was no point in arguing with her friend. "You know what? Never mind."

"So where's this expensive book now?" Emily questioned and Mia sighed before looking up at her.

"I sent it back to him." Mia told her and Emily's eyes widened in surprise.

"You what?" She questioned.

"I sent it back. It's way too expensive and I don't know what he wants." Mia said, quickly growing tired of explaining her actions to Emily.

"So?" Emily questioned before rolling her eyes at the brunette. "God, you're a complete square sometimes, Amelia. If you didn't like the gift then you could've at least sold it for a decent amount of money." Mia glared at the English woman.

"Sometimes I wonder why we're friends. You're literally the worst person I've ever met." Mia told her bitterly and Emily just smirked at her.

"I don't know why I'm friends with you either. You're the most boring person I've ever met." Emily retorted and Mia just shook her head before Emily changed the subject. "So are you going to do it or not?"

"Do what?" Mia asked, the expression on her face morphing into one of confusion. Emily sighed tiredly because Mia really wasn't getting this.

"Are you going to write the biography?" Emily asked her as if it were obvious. Well, she had asked her the very same question several minutes ago before they veered off from the topic at hand. Mia's face relaxed as she pondered Emily's question for a moment. It was a fair question and it was also a question Mia had thought a lot about over the past few days. Was she going to write the biography? Well, that was a question she still didn't know the answer to. Mia had no idea whether or not she should write the biography.

"I don't really have a clue at this point." Mia admitted, the same answer as before, but Emily still didn't look fazed.

"None whatsoever?" She inquired and Mia shook her head.

"No." A thoughtful look then passed over Emily's face as she became a more serious version of herself. It was seldom that Emily was ever serious about anything but when she was then she could actually become quite helpful. Mia knew that was shocking but it was true. Emily was smart despite how much she wanted everyone to think she wasn't.

"Why don't you do that annoying thing you always used to do back in college?" Emily asked her and Mia gave her a confused look.

"What thing?" She questioned and Emily just looked at her.

"The stupid thing where you list all the pro's and con's before making a decision." Emily informed her much to Mia's surprise. "That's what you did before applying for that internship at Cosmopolitan. It's what you did before you decided to take Michael's sorry ass back and it's also what you did before you married him."

"I didn't really think of that." Mia said to herself.

"I always thought it was stupid but if it helps you in the long run then who really cares?" Emily told her and Mia just nodded to herself as she did exactly what Emily suggested. Emily was right. This was perfect opportunity to make a list of pro's and con's.

"Okay…so what are some pro's?" Mia said as she mulled over her own question.

"You'd probably make a ton of money by writing Tony Stark's biography." Emily told her, giving her a mischievous smile. "So much that you could buy a new little condo somewhere warm with a nice sandy beach."

"Con?" Mia said as she pointedly ignored her friend. "Let me see here. How about how creepy it is that Tony Stark decides to send me an expensive book before showing up at my work and requesting that I write his biography after only meeting me once briefly?"

"That definitely could be considered a con." Emily agreed as she nodded along to what Mia was saying. "Tony Stark has reached high levels of creepy with that little move."

"Pro?" Mia questioned and Emily smirked at her.

"You could have sex with Tony Stark." Emily told her and Mia immediately gave her friend a glare. "What? This girl I knew, back when we were staying at my aunt's house in London, went home with him when I was at this party you refused to go to. From what I heard, he's really good in bed. A very attentive lover."

"I'm just surprised _you_ haven't slept with him." Mia said insultingly but Emily just shrugged.

"It's not for a lack of trying. I basically threw myself at him and he told me that he wasn't interested in little girls." Emily said and it became clear to Mia that Emily was still deeply offended by this rejection. At least that was kind of amusing. "I was fucking nineteen which is perfectly legal by the way. Little girl? Yeah, right."

"You never told me that you were rejected by Tony Stark." Mia said and the blonde glared at her.

"I wasn't rejected by him. We just had a small disagreement." Emily corrected before explaining herself. "And I did tell you about this by the way. You were just so busy moping around about Michael after you broke up that one time that you probably didn't listen."

"Well…I, for one, am definitely not going to be sleeping with Tony Stark. If I _were_ to write this book, and I can't stress the word "if" enough, then I'm going to be perfectly professional." Mia said, sounding perfectly sure of herself. "I'll make sure Mr. Stark is aware of that too. I'm an established writer with a reputation to keep up and I'm sure as hell not going to end up like Christine Everhart. I'm smarter than that and I also have a lot more dignity."

"Again…who the fuck is Christine Everhart?" Emily questioned but she went ignored by Mia.

"Anyways, another pro. Well, Random House Publishing said that if I did this book then it would end my three book deal contract but then they'd start a new contract." Mia mentioned and Emily furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"What kind of new contract?" Emily inquired and Mia looked back up at her.

"One where Random House will publish however many books I want…as long as they approve of them but still." Mia answered and Emily just nodded.

"That's actually a really good pro." Emily told her but Mia still wasn't sure.

"But a con is the politics of the situation. Tony Stark is a really political person which has me worried." Mia said, looking very torn over this dilemma. Emily nodded in understanding.

"You're worried that people will think that you're trying to use your writing to push your own political views." Emily elaborated and Mia just gave her friend a slightly panicked look.

"I don't have any political views, Emily." Mia said worriedly. "I'm a vegetarian and that's as political as I get."

"Being a vegetarian isn't political." Emily told her and Mia shook her head.

"It is if you care about animals." Mia told her and Emily just rolled her eyes at her. "Did you see the documentary _Blackfish_? What about the one about Ivory?"

"Are you going to go on about fucking Seaworld again? I don't want to hear it, Amelia." Emily told her but Mia was adamant to prove her point.

"Those whales are trapped inside a tiny glass box, Emily. They belong in the ocean." Mia told her seriously and Emily sighed. _Same old Amelia_ , Emily thought to herself. She always cared about animals despite never having a pet. Emily just assumed she cared about pets so much because she was never allowed to have one when she was a kid and she now lived in an apartment where she wasn't allowed to have one either. Emily even thought Mia was going to throw herself off a bridge that time in college when she ate a bunch of haggis when she was drunk. Mia was still mad at her for that.

"Yes, I know…because you've made me watch that movie five times. It was depressing as fuck." Emily stated before moving the conversation forward. "Let's not get off topic which is so incredibly easy with you. So Tony Stark's political…who cares?"

"I care, Emily." Mia told her seriously. "I don't want people thinking that I'm trying to shove my beliefs down their throat. I hate when people do that to me. Do you know how much shit I get at family reunions from my mother's hundred year old widowed aunts?" Mia only briefly paused before mimicking the old batty women she was unfortunately related to.

" _Do you still go to church, Amelia?_ " Mia said as she did the best impression of her Great Aunt Ethel that she could think of. Emily snorted into her glass of wine. Mia never ceased to amuse her. " _Why don't you go? Some would say that it's very heathen of you to stay at home on Sundays when you could be taking in the word of our lord and savior Jesus Christ. You can also always find a nice young man at church. Only nice men go to church."_ Emily scoffed.

"Yeah, right. I'll believe that when I fucking see it." Emily told her. "And besides…people aren't going to think you're shoving your beliefs down their throats because this would be Tony Stark's beliefs. Not yours."

"Sounds fair enough. Carter and Mr. Stark said something similar to me at the meeting." Mia mumbled and Emily raised an eyebrow.

"Mr. Stark? Do you seriously call him that?" Emily asked in amusement and Mia just glared at the blonde. "Is he your teacher or something? Ooh…that could be kind of kinky, actually."

"It's a professional courtesy." Mia told her and her friend rolled her eyes.

"Okay, okay…so next pro or con?" Emily asked her and Mia sighed heavily before responding.

"Con…I don't know why he's doing this." Mia finally said which was the biggest con of all to her. This was the very thing that gave her a lot of concern when debating over this issue of writing Tony Stark's biography.

"Who cares about why he's doing this." Emily told her but this didn't give Mia any comfort.

"I care because I don't like the fact that he's doing this." Mia said and she felt like she was just repeating herself at this point. "I just don't know what his intentions are and it makes me uncomfortable."

"You're being so melodramatic, Amelia. Just write the damn book." Emily said, quickly growing bored of this debate. Mia gave her an unsure look.

"I don't know, Emily." Mia said, still sounding unsure. Emily just sighed before deciding to make a point to her friend's logic. A point which would be hard for Mia to ignore.

"Look at it this way, do you want to go your whole life wondering what it would've been like to write that book?" Emily inquired and Mia gave her a confused look.

"What do you mean?" She questioned, not knowing what her friend was talking about.

"I mean that someday, when you're a lonely old lady with fifty cats, you're going to wonder what it would've been like to write that book about Tony Stark." Emily explained while Mia just watched her silently. "You're going to just sit there with all these regrets and you'll also wonder what it would've been like to sleep with an Avenger." Mia just gave her friend a disgusted look before rolling her eyes as Emily continued.

"You'll wonder if he was as good of a lover as everyone says and then you'll feel guilty that you never got to tell your best friend Emily what he was really like in bed." Emily said as she finished speaking. Thank god.

"Very funny." Mia said sarcastically. "But on a more serious note, I don't think I'll wonder what life would be like without Tony Stark when I'm an old lady. Despite what he may think, the world doesn't revolve around him."

"I'm just saying that you might as well just write the stupid book." Emily said as she ignored everything her friend just said. "It's not like anything bad will happen. Even if something does go wrong then at least you won't think back and wonder about what would've happened. You'll say, "Wow…that fucking sucked", and then you can move on with your life."

"I guess, that's a good point." Mia told her quietly. She had to admit that Emily was kind of right about this whole biography thing. If she didn't take the book deal then she might possibly have regrets down the road. Mia had to admit that she was curious about Tony Stark as well. She was curious about why he wanted her to write this book and she was a little bit curious about him in general. If she did happen to take the book deal then at least she would be able to satisfy that curiosity. Even if the whole experience sucked then at least she tried. Maybe Emily was way smarter than what Mia gave her credit for.

"Can we finally be finished with this whole book talk?" Emily asked, sounding bored out of her mind. "I want to tell you about this amazing little area I found when I was in Japan. It was so beautiful, Amelia. You should've seen it."

"I'd love to hear about this place." Mia told her with a small smile on her face. She listened to her friend go on about Japan but she also deeply considered Emily's advice. Maybe Emily and Carter were right about writing this book. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. It's not like she would be working for him or anything. She'd technically be working for herself since this was part of her three book contract with her publishing company. Yes, she wasn't a biographer but how hard could writing a biography be? She'd just listen to what Tony Stark had to say and then she'd write it down.

What could be so hard about that?

* * *

Mia must've put off calling Carter for hours. She had gotten back from her lunch with Emily hours ago but Mia still hadn't made a move to grab the phone. Her mind was already made up about the biography. She was just scared to finally make the phone call because it made everything that much more real. Mia didn't know why she was freaking out about a job. It shouldn't have made that much of a difference to her but it did. Maybe it was because it was the first commitment she was making since she was married.

Mia wasn't stupid. She knew how weird that sounded but it was true. She hadn't made such a large commitment in a long time. Excluding her Hulu subscription, of course, but this was slightly bigger than that. There was a lot to consider but then there also wasn't a lot to consider either. It was either write the book to finish her three book contract and then be allowed to write whatever book she wanted or she could just keep putting off finishing a book she didn't think she would ever finish. At least writing this biography would provide her with a nice break from writer's block.

The decision seemed like an easy one to make but it was also quite difficult in mustering the courage to finally take a more important step in her life…making the first big commitment she had made in years. After Michael died, Mia had been too scared to commit to anything. She was even so scared of making any life defining decisions that she had canceled and uncanceled her Apple Music subscription more times than she could count. Mia changed soul cycle and yoga classes on an almost monthly basis, never sticking to the same place very long. The only two things she stuck to were her favorite coffee shop as well as the pho place her and Michael used to go to. They always has the best pho and Mia didn't mind going even if the place was filled of reminders of how much happier her life used to be.

Mia could say that she had no idea why she was so afraid of committing, even to the smallest of things, but that was a lie. She knew exactly why. It might've sounded crazy to other people but Mia just didn't feel like making any friends…or growing attached to people. She knew, perhaps better than most people, that not everyone was going to there the next day. People died and people left. Old Mia wouldn't have been this cynical but she had changed a lot in the time since her husband's death.

 _"_ _Why aren't you over me, Mia? It's been three years. This isn't healthy."_ She could imagine him saying to her with that worried look on his face.

"I know it's not healthy but I don't know how else to act." Mia would say back to him. It was true. Three years and Mia didn't know how to be a healthy, functional human being. Mia had spent the past three years living in a state of confusion and unsure of how to ever move past that state of confusion. Maybe she just expected to snap out of it one of these days or maybe she just thought she'd spend the rest of her life like this.

Mia really didn't know.

Even so, there was quite a few things she did know contrary to popular belief. People usually just assumed she was this twenty something year old mess of a girl but she had learned a lot in her twenty nine year on this planet. Especially when it was announced to everyone that she and Michael were to be married. People seemed almost too eager to give you advice on marriage. Everyone seemed to think of themselves as experts but Mia didn't believe marriage experts existed. Every marriage was different so how could anyone be an expert on it? Most of the people who gave Mia advice had problems of their own. She tried not taking their advice to heart but sometimes Mia caught herself doing that very same thing.

Sometimes.

There were actually a lot of things they told you when you got married. Mia remembered getting a lot of advice from family members about marriage. Her Great Aunt Ethel used to tell her all the ways she could make her husband happy which might've been cool if Mia lived in 1954 but this was the twenty first century, after all. Her sister told her that communication was important and to make sure to still do romantic like things like going on dates. Her mother gave Mia the do's and don'ts of marriage after learning a lot from the divorce from Mia's father. Mia's whole point about all this semi-useful/semi-useless advice was that everyone had given her advice on how to be a wife but no one had given her advice on how to be a widow.

No one told her how difficult it was going to be.

A few weeks after he died Mia had started going to group therapy sessions with other people who had lost their spouses. It only took Mia a short time to realize that she was always going to be the youngest one there. Sure there were a couple people in their late thirties but they were still a lot older than Mia. _So young,_ they used to whisper in hushed voices they thought she couldn't hear. Mia stopped going after that. It was just so hard talking about Michael to people. People who would look sympathetic for her sake but secretly wonder why it wasn't the drugs he had died from. They'd remark at how ironic it was that a former drug addict hadn't died from an overdose but from a freak accident.

 _"_ _It's quite funny if you think about it, actually." Michael would say and Mia would shake her head, giving him a very unimpressed look._

"Not to me." Mia would say in response.

It was harder when his death was still a new concept to her. Sometimes Mia would forget that he was gone. She'd be washing the dishes in the kitchen and casually sneak a glance into the living room, fully expecting to see him there sprawled out across the couch as he watched one of his stupid shows. It only took her a second before she realized that he was dead…never to return to his favorite couch and never to watch his stupid show again either. Those were the days that the realization hit her the hardest. She'd bawl her eyes out for what felt like hours until she was too exhausted to cry anymore.

However, it was different now.

She no longer forgot the fact that he was dead. The concept was familiar to her as time passed. Mia would still sometimes see him in little areas of her apartment. She wasn't talking about ghosts but just memories. Sometimes Mia would glance into her closet and remember an old memory. It would play like a movie inside her head. For instance, the time he couldn't find his tie when they were running late for dinner with her sister and Mark. Mia would briefly smile at the memory before turning away but she didn't cry like she used to. She wasn't even sure if she really felt that sad anymore.

Just numb.

 _"What do you think I should do?"_ Mia would ask Michael about the situation at hand. She always used to ask him for his opinion on things. His opinion had mattered so much to her...the most, actually.

 _"_ _You should do it. I think it would be good for you."_ He'd tell her. Mia knew without a doubt that Michael would be completely for her doing this. He probably thought it would be cool. Michael always had a weird man crush on Tony Stark so she knew he'd be trying to convince her to introduce him to the famous billionaire.

 _"_ _Really?"_ She would question doubtfully and he would nod.

 _"_ _Yes. You need some change in your life and I think this is the change you need."_ He would tell her wisely as she patiently listened. _"It's not like it'll hurt. It's just a job."_

 _"_ _It's just such a large and important commitment. I'm not sure if I can handle it."_ Mia would say as she would start to doubt herself like she always did. He would just smile and shake his head at her.

 _"_ _You're only going to be writing this guy's book, Mia. It's not like you'll be marrying him."_ He'd reply and Mia would nod to herself because that actually made a lot of sense. He always made sense. It was something she always adored about him because he had a way of getting her out of her head and bringing her back down to earth. Michael had been the voice of reason whenever Mia began to panic. She should've listened to him since the beginning…or listened to the memory of his voice anyways.

"You're right." Mia finally said aloud. She wasn't crazy. She knew Michael wasn't really telling her to do this but she knew this is what he would've wanted for her. Holly was right too. Michael wouldn't have wanted her to be moping around like this. Maybe the best solution was to just get out there and do normal things like talk to people. Tony Stark could be the first step in doing that because even Mia knew that it wasn't exactly healthy to lock herself up in her apartment all week.

 _"_ _I always am, love."_ He would say to her with that cocky smile on his face. This was just her conscience. Mia was fully aware of that even if her conscience sounded exactly like Michael. She wasn't insane but she thought she might listen to her conscience this time. Maybe her very Michael sounding conscience had a point.

Maybe this would be good for her.

Without giving herself any time to change her mind, Mia immediately reached for her iPhone. She didn't waste any time searching through her contacts for Carter's number. Mia's thumb hesitated over the call symbol for only a brief moment before she decided to stop overthinking this too much. Everyone was right. It's not like this would hurt anyone. It was just a job and when it was over then Mia would be able to write whatever she wanted whenever she wanted. This was actually the best sort of deal.

Mia just couldn't really stop comparing this situation with Tony Stark to signing a deal with the devil. She wasn't naïve. Mia knew this was going to be difficult but she was willing to try if it meant taking a step forward in her life. It's not like she had a life anyways. It was either write this biography or spend the entire day watching a show on Netflix. Netflix sounded more appealing but Tony Stark was probably the healthier option. This was also probably the rare occurrence where Tony Stark was the healthier option to anything.

"Hello." Carter said once he finally picked up the phone after a couple rings. Mia smiled softly before answering him. It was either now or never.

"Carter, it's me. So about that Tony Stark thing…"


	10. Chapter Nine

**Author's Note: So there's a lot more Tony in this chapter. I know there wasn't any of him last chapter so hopefully this one will make up for that. From now on,I'm fairly confident that Tony will be in every chapter. I think we've reached a point where we'll see a consistent amount of Tony. I'm really nervous and excited for you guys to read this chapter because there's a lot of banter and I can only hope that Tony's somewhat in character.**

 **I just want to add that this story was partially inspired by a book I read not that long ago. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. It's a really beautiful book which is essentially about this journalist who's asked to write this biography for a very famous actress from the golden age of Hollywood. An Elizabeth Taylor sort of actress. Although this story doesn't have anything to do with what happened in that book, I was just inspired by the biography portion. I'm actually inspired by a lot of different things with this story. I don't think this story was even originally going to have Mia as Tony's biographer which is what made me stuck from continuing to write it. I wasn't sure how Mia and Tony would spend a lot of time together and for it to make sense. So that book I read was actually a blessing in disguise.**

 **Usually I have a vague updating schedule but I really don't have one right now. I'm not sure if it'll update STNS, Palace, or this one again next. I'm kind of leaning towards updating this one again because I'm feeling really inspired for this story lately but we'll see.**

 **monikasuszek73: I'm still watching Maniac right now. I'm not quite done. I think I'm on the last couple episodes. It's definitely a show I think I'm going to need to watch again to fully understand it but I really love it. It has the same eeriness as Twin Peaks.**

 **Snapplecrackles: When I originally started writing this story a couple years ago, Michael wasn't an addict. It was only recently after binge watching Patrick Melrose starring Benedict Cumberbatch that I felt inspired to change Michael's background a bit. I was heavily inspired by Patrick Melrose for Michael's character which you'll see more of in future chapters. Like in the show, Michael can hide his addiction fairly well although not from the people who really know him. There's a line Michael said last chapter where he said he could quit any time and it's not a big deal. I partially took that from the show because, while I myself haven't even known someone who was a drug addict, from some research I could gather that this is something the show really represented realistically. I also didn't just throw this in randomly for some drama. There's a reason and the reason will show up in future chapters and it'll have a lot to do with Mia's issues with relationships and commitment which I briefly addressed in the last chapter.**

 **I'm so happy I could introduce Mitski to someone and for that person to appreciate her genius as much as I do. I'm so obsessed with her music right now. I can't stop listening to her. She's one of the best musicians around right now and more people need to know about her. Ugh! Sorry. I'm just really passionate about her music. She's great and I'm glad you're liking her.**

 **Another random account: Thank you. I'm so relieved that a lot of you guys think he's in character. Like I said before, I never had much trouble writing him because he was never in the story as much as he is in this one. There's a lot more of him in this chapter so let me know what you think.**

 **Krakengirl: I think Peter kind of has to be in the story since Tony's such a central character. He's not going to show up for a while but he'll be mentioned a lot until that point. Right now in the story we're post CA: Civil War and pre-Spider-Man: Homecoming. Even when we get to Spider-Man: Homecoming, the movie will be happening in the background since Mia not going to be actively involved with it. Everything will still be happening but it'll just be in the background while Mia's life takes center course. This also isn't as action-y of a story as my other ones. Peter will probably show up post Spider-Man: Homecoming so it'll still be a while.**

 **emmagnestised: I'm glad you like the story. Mia and Tony are going to be testing boundaries in this chapter so they'll definitely learn a lot about each other here. There's plenty more Mia/Tony banter to come so no worries.**

 **eph1027: Thank you! That really means a lot to me and I've been trying really hard to keep him in character. He's a difficult character to write but I'm glad that I'm not failing in that department. Thank you.**

 **Thanks to Love. Fiction. 2018 and Purplestan for reviewing as well. Thanks for all the favorites and follows. Please let me know what you think of the chapter. Thanks again...wow, that was a lot of thank you's.**

* * *

It was exactly a week later that Mia found herself outside the Avengers Tower. The tower was rumored to be vacant now that Captain America's faction of Avengers were deemed war criminals. From her research, Mia learned that it was now just Stark Industries Headquarters on the east coast. Mia tilted her back as she looked all the way up at the tower, noticing how it seemed to touch the sky. It was really big. There was no doubt in Mia's mind about that. Mia always used to think that the tower must've been Tony Stark's way of compensating for something…if you caught her drift. Why else would someone build a tower that big and plaster their name across it?

The brunette slowly and cautiously made her way into the tower and off the busy New York streets. The lobby of the building was in immaculate condition which didn't really surprise Mia. _God_ , she thought to herself, _even the furniture in the lobby looks too expensive for me to afford_. The floors were spotless, probably scrubbed several times a day to maintain that pristine shininess that allowed Mia to see her own reflection. She winced at the way her heels clacked against the hard floors, hoping that she didn't draw too much attention to herself in the nearly empty lobby. It became clear to Mia that Tony Stark must not have booked many meetings because there was no one there.

As Mia made her way to the receptionist sitting at the front desk, she couldn't help but feel a bit frightened over what was to come. It was easy calling Carter. Well, maybe it hadn't been _that_ easy to call Carter and agree to this biography thing but it was still easier than actually seeing Tony Stark face to face. Mia was just worried that he would try and make her uncomfortable with inappropriate remarks. She was afraid that he would ruin the image she had of him which wasn't very different from the image most people had of him.

He was an Avenger. A hero to most which was something Mia couldn't deny. He had her respect for that but Mia just hoped that he didn't somehow make her hate him by the time this was all over. Celebrities sometimes turned out to be assholes in real life. Mia knew this for a fact because she had met a couple celebrities who actually turned out to be assholes. She wouldn't name them but it was true.

"Can I help you?" The receptionist asked in a bored tone. She was a beautiful Asian woman who looked like a model to Mia which also happened to make Mia feel like she didn't belong in this building. The woman's outfit was better suited for a cocktail party which again made Mia feel very small and insignificant. Great. Apparently Tony Stark had supermodels working as receptionists. This was like working at Cosmopolitan all over again. Mia swallowed hard before answering the woman.

"Um…I'm here to see Mr. Stark." Mia said nervously. The woman raised an eyebrow in disbelief but she didn't call Mia out on it. She didn't have to. It was obvious that the woman didn't believe her.

"Name?" The woman requested and Mia just nodded as she nervously clutched the strap of her bag to her shoulder more tightly. She had all the essentials in her bag. Her laptop, notebook, and even a copy of Howard Stark's own biography that Mia had been reading over the past week. She thought it was necessary to brush up on the Stark family history.

"Amelia McCallum." Mia told the receptionist who only nodded as she typed in that information into the computer. For a moment, Mia started to fret over whether or not she had gotten the time wrong. Maybe Carter told her the meeting was on Wednesday. Not Tuesday. God…this was embarrassing. And to think-"

"Mr. Stark's expecting you." The receptionist said much to Mia's relief. It looked she wasn't going to embarrass herself today…not yet, at least. The way the receptionist said that line, funnily enough, made Mia think of _Fifty Shades of Grey_. _Mr. Grey will see you now_ , Mia thought jokingly to herself. She would never admit to reading the book because she was a bit snobbish when it came to books like that but Mia allowed herself to joke about it. Besides…Mia didn't want to admit that her life was that dull and boring that she even had time to read the entire _Fifty Shades of Grey s_ eries.

"Great." Mia said, not knowing what else to say to that.

"Just take the elevator up to the Avengers Common Area." The receptionist informed her and Mia just nodded. Well, those were some words she never thought she'd hear in her life. The Avengers Common Area. It's not like Mia wasn't already nervous enough but now she was told she had to go to the Avengers Common Area. It was probably some really cool room where the Avengers hung out together and bragged about their badass adventures of kicking ass. Totally not a big deal…except it was. Mia was about to leave when the receptionist stopped her.

"Wait…take this. It's a visitor's pass." Mia looked down at the pass the receptionist was referring to. She raised an eyebrow when she read the 'Press' inscription across it.

"Oh, I'm not a reporter." Mia told the reception as she nervously smiled at her. However, the receptionist didn't seem to care as she continued to stare at Mia in boredom. It was clear to Mia that she was somehow wasting this woman's time so Mia just smiled gratefully and nodded before taking the pass and putting it around her neck.

"Thank you." Mia said awkwardly before she finally started to walk away from the desk and towards the elevator. Mia wondered if she was going to see that receptionist every time she came to the tower. She really hoped not. The receptionist was all kinds of unpleasant.

Mia quietly made her way into the elevator and patiently waited for the doors to shut. She smiled at the receptionist one last time while said receptionist just rolled her eyes and went back to looking at her computer. The smile quickly fell off Mia's face as she remembered that this was New York and not a suburb of Portland like where she grew up. Michael always used to tell her that cities were filled with assholes that would never appreciate her suburban politeness. She nervously bit her lip for a moment as she fidgeted with the ring on her finger, a nervous habit of hers and a way of reminding herself of her husband. Mia kind of wished Michael was here in this moment. He would know what to say to her to lighten her up and wash all her worries away.

"Mrs. McCallum, shall I take you up to the common area?" A disembodied voice said as the elevator doors finally shut. The voice broke Mia out of her thoughts as she looked wildly around the elevator, thinking that maybe she wasn't the only one in there. However, there was clearly no one there. She was the only one.

"W-Who's there?" Mia stuttered as she looked around with wide eyes.

"I'm Friday. Mr. Stark's artificial intelligence system." The feminine, and somehow Irish sounding, voice said. Mia could only nod slowly as she processed that information. About a hundred sci-fi movies came to mind and most of those movies ended with the robot/AI system turning evil and destroying mankind but okay…so Tony Stark built a magical computer that was talking to her. Mia could somehow adjust to something that terrifying. She could find a way to be okay with that even though she was also realizing that this meant that her every movement was being constantly monitored.

"Oh, um…nice to meet you." Mia said, having no idea what to say to an AI system. What were you even supposed to say to a robot? Mia wasn't prepared for this.

"Shall I take you up to the common area then?" Friday asked again.

"Yes. That would be great." Mia told the AI system and she felt the elevator shift as it began to go up. Mia rested her hand on the wall for support because she always hated elevators. It always felt like she had no control when she was in an elevator. She just had to trust that it didn't break down and leave her stranded. One of the things she actually liked about her apartment, and what everyone else in her building hated, was the fact that there was no elevator. Mia and all the other tenants in the building were forced to use the stairs instead of the elevator which Mia didn't mind. She'd rather walk than hope the death trap she was in didn't break down and kill her _Final Destination_ style.

When the elevator finally stopped, she felt relief wash over her. It looked like she wasn't going to die _Final Destination_ style today. Thank God. Mia let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding as the doors of the elevator finally opened to reveal the Avengers Common Area. Mia didn't really know what she was expecting but it wasn't this. She had originally imagined the room with countless Avengers walking through it. Maybe she thought she'd see Captain America sitting off in a corner with Black Widow and Hawkeye talking about his life during the second world war. Maybe she thought she would see Thor at the bar with Falcon and Vision while the Scarlet Witch made them drinks.

Mia didn't really know where she pictured Tony Stark in this whole scenario. Maybe he'd be watching everyone in the room with a glass of scotch in his hands, looking very suave and reminiscent of a modern Rhett Butler. Or maybe he would be having a good laugh with War Machine and Dr. Banner who she read were the Avengers he was closest to. Mia wasn't sure but she certainly hadn't envisioned an empty room when she pictured something like an Avengers Common Area.

It made sense though. It made sense because the Avengers were momentarily broken up. With one half of them on the run as war criminals while the other half was wherever the hell the Avenger's Facility was which no one apparently knew. It was probably top secret information which Mia kind of understood. You couldn't really make a top secret superhero headquarters a tourist destination now, could you?

Mia thought the Avengers were kind of like a rock band that had broken up. If so then Mia wondered which rock band the Avengers were. The Beatles? Eagles? If they were the Beatles then Mia was pretty sure Captain America would be Paul McCartney in that scenario and Mr. Stark would be John Lennon. If they were the Eagles then Mia was a little less certain. Maybe Captain America would be Glenn Frey and Mr. Stark would be Don Henley. Or would it be the other way around? Mia wasn't entirely sure.

"Mr. Stark is currently in his lab but he'll join you shortly." Friday told Mia, breaking the brunette out of her musings about the Avengers and rock bands. Mia blushed as she quickly exited the elevator. "You're welcome to make yourself comfortable until Mr. Stark arrives."

"Thanks." Mia mumbled as she slowly trekked across the floor of the common area. She looked around the place in wonder because it was probably the most expensive place Mia had ever seen. Everything in here looked like it was worth twenty times as much as her apartment. Mia hated to think how much it cost to decorate a place like this.

The novelist was afraid to touch anything in fear of somehow breaking it. Mia was always quite clumsy which Michael had always found amusing about her. She still remembered the time she broke a very expensive and old family heirloom at his parents house. Mia had been mortified but Michael just laughed. He thought it was the funniest thing ever. However, Mia noticed that Michael's family was a different kind of wealthy than Tony Stark seemed to be. Everything she was seeing in the Avengers tower was all new. Modern. Everything in Michael's family home had been centuries old. Maybe that's why Michael had always admired Tony Stark. Because Tony Stark and his father were self-made billionaires instead of the kind of people who lived off the wealth of their ancestors like Michael's family had been.

Mia briefly considered going over to the opposite side of the room to observe the city's skyline but she didn't think she was brave enough. She always had a fear of heights, one of her many fears, so she thought she might puke if she stood too close to the window and realized how far up in the tower she actually was. Mia was already nervous enough so she didn't need to look down and have a mini panic attack about how high up she was. No way. Mia was quite content in standing in the middle of the common area and ignore the windows completely.

She was only alone for a couple minutes before the elevator doors opened back up only to reveal Tony Stark this time. Mia took a deep breath as she tried to prepare herself for whatever odd or insulting comment the billionaire would say this time. Last time it was the gross remark about her previous job at Cosmopolitan so who knew what he was going to say this time. Mia just knew that she needed to put up with his peculiar behavior if she was going to write this biography. He was probably going to say a lot of things she didn't like and she just needed to deal with that.

Mia had originally hoped that Tony Stark would be much less attractive than she remembered. She kind of hoped that she made up how handsome he was in her mind…that he was just your usual old billionaire with a beer belly and a head full gray hair. However, she was sadly proven wrong because somehow he was even more attractive than she recollected. He was very much in shape, no beer belly to be detected, and while his age was perfectly obvious to her, he wore his age very well and with more grace than she thought was possible. This was still something that annoyed Mia about him because she didn't like that he was attractive. It made her job more difficult because she didn't want to be like a silly little school girl with a crush on her teacher.

"Snow White!" Tony greeted as he walked into the common area with his usual smirk. Mia smiled politely as she tried not to let the nickname bother her. She didn't even know why he kept calling her that but she thought it was best not to ask.

"Mr. Stark." Mia said cordially. Tony raised an eyebrow in amusement at how awkward the brunette looked as she stood there in the common area of the tower. He could immediately tell that she was nervous. Her demeanor gave everything away and maybe that's why Tony liked her. It was because she was such an easy person to read unlike the many ass-kissers Tony was used to. There was no deception or hidden motives. There was just her. Tony thought maybe it was a good thing she was a writer because he knew the type of person she was. Mia was the sensitive type. The type the whole world would eat up if she was anything but a writer. She kind of reminded him of Bruce that way.

"I told you to call me Tony." He reminded her and Mia couldn't but notice there was a certain mischievous twinkle in his eyes as he smirked at her. "It's not like I'm your boss or anything. You don't work under me. Well, you _could_ if you really wanted." Mia glared at his suggestive tone but Tony just gave her a sheepish look.

"Sorry. Innuendos are my greatest weakness." Tony quipped as he walked past her to the bar to get himself a drink. He was actively trying to cut down on his drinking but he was really going to need a drink right now if he was going to sit down and tell Mia his life story. "Please note that this isn't sexual harassment. You'll find that I've actually donated money to many female driven causes." Mia gave him a doubtful look.

"Oh and do you have daughters too?" Mia retorted, becoming more at ease with Tony's presence. She didn't really think he was hitting on her anyways. It was just his weird sense of humor. Mia doubted she was Tony Stark's type. She remembered all the models and actresses from those gossip magazines she read when she was a teenager enough to know that Tony Stark obviously had a thing for tall women which Mia was not. Tony gave her an amused look as he poured himself a glass of scotch.

"Not yet." Tony told her as he continued with their banter. "But I actually wouldn't mind having a little female me running around here. An Iron Woman out there fighting crime and kicking ass. That's probably a family legacy dad never saw coming."

"That's either cute or creepy." Mia told him as she tried to imagine a female Tony Stark. A world with two Starks living in it was probably most people's nightmare. Although a small part of Mia kind of thought the idea of a female Tony Stark was cute. Instead of her dad teaching her how to ride a bike, like Mia and her own father, Tony Stark would probably teach her how to build a robot.

"Either way, little Antonia Stark will probably give me a run for my money." Tony retorted and Mia found herself delightfully surprised by him. While he was very sarcastic, which was to be expected, he was surprisingly funny when he wanted to be. He wasn't mean or cruel like some of the tabloids made him out to be. Well, Mia couldn't say for sure that he wasn't those things since they had only just met but so far she didn't get that impression from him.

"Want a drink?" Tony asked her and Mia gave him a bewildered look.

"It's eleven in the morning." Mia told him as if he didn't already know that. Tony shrugged.

"You know what they say. It's five o'clock somewhere. That's the saying, isn't it?" Tony asked like he thought she would know the answer to that. Mia just shook her head.

"I wouldn't know, Mr. Stark." Mia told him and Tony noticed that she ignored his request in calling him Tony yet again. Well, that was kind of annoying.

"I can feel the silent judgement all the way over here." Tony said, half joking and half not. Mia just shook her head as she smiled politely once more. She reminded herself to act less nervous as he made his way over to her in the living room area of the common area. He walked around the room with such grace and familiarity that Mia felt even more outplaced there.

"I didn't say anything." Mia told him honestly and Tony took a seat in in an armchair, one of the very expensive pieces of furniture in the common area.

"You didn't have to." Tony said as he relaxed in his seat. He raised an eyebrow at her when he noticed that she was still standing. "Are you going to take a seat or are you going to stand there the entire time? I'm fine with it either way. I just kind of figured it would be easier to sit than just stand there and stare at me for however long this takes."

Mia blushed because she realized that he was right. She had been momentarily distracted by Tony's presence in the room that she had even forgotten where she was. Mia wanted to make a note of that and write it down in her notebook. She thought it would be important to note that Tony Stark had a commanding presence. Whenever he stepped into a room, he took up all the space and attention within it. It was quite amazing to watch, actually.

"Right. Sorry." Mia said as she took a seat on the expensive looking couch across from him. Tony watched her curiously as she set her bag down beside her. He noticed that it was a book bag that she must've kept with her since her college or high school years. The iron-on embroidered patches, a Maroon 5 and P!nk one in particular catching his eye, proved that enough to Tony. God…Maroon 5 and P!nk? Hopefully her music taste evolved from that or Tony was going to have to reconsider this book thing.

"Geez, McCallum, at least be a professional about this. I'm starting to think that you don't know what you're doing." Tony teased and Mia just gave him an unamused look as she brought her iPhone and notebook out of her bag. She didn't really see the point of bringing out her laptop. Not until she got the full version of his story for the biography, at least.

"I _don't_ know what I'm doing." Mia retorted as she got everything in order. She placed her phone on the armrest of the couch before placing her notebook in her lap. "I thought I made that abundantly clear." Tony smiled in amusement before wrinkling his nose in disgust at what phone she had with her.

"Are you seriously going to wave that piece of junk around in my face?" Tony questioned and Mia didn't know what he was talking about at first until she followed his line of sight. She frowned as she looked at her phone.

"What's wrong with my iPhone?" Mia asked him, honestly not knowing what the problem was. Tony shrugged as he took a sip from his glass of scotch.

"Nothing." Tony said nonchalantly. "Unless you like outdated plastic bricks with updates that, by some miracle, actually make the phone even worse." Mia raised an eyebrow.

"Instead of what? The amazing genius Stark phone?" Mia questioned in amusement. "The phone that actually costs five times more than the newest iPhone. Yeah, it's so weird and impractical that I got an iPhone instead." Tony gave her a doubtful look.

"You're an award winning novelist who just sold the movie rights to your first novel. You're telling me you can't afford it?" Tony questioned and Mia shrugged as she got her pen ready for the interview.

"I have all my music in iTunes." Mia said as if that were a perfectly reasonable explanation. It might've been reasonable to some people but not Tony.

"That's the reason?" Tony questioned in disbelief as he shook his head. "Well, if you have Maroon 5 and P!nk taking up all that room then you might as well get rid of it while you can." Mia gave him a confused look.

"Maroon 5 and P!nk?" She questioned in confusion and he nodded towards her old book bag. Mia glanced down at the book bag before blushing as she recalled the time she and her friends spent all day waiting outside the local music venue to get into the Maroon 5 concert. It was general admission back then so Mia and her friends wanted to get in the front row to see Adam Levine up close. Mia really missed the days where the saddest thing that ever happened to her was not getting meet and greet passes to see Adam Levine because teenage Mia had this fantasy that he would meet her and instantly fall in love with her. It was the same fantasy literally every teenage girl had back then but Mia still felt silly now as an adult.

"Oh…right." Mia said as she tried to force embarrassing memories from high school out of her mind.

"I might have to rethink this whole biography thing if your music tastes lie somewhere in between Maroon 5 and P!nk." Tony teased and Mia just shook her head in amusement.

"Very funny." Mia said before giving this teasing remark some more thought as she then began to defend her taste in music. "And I don't _just_ listen to Maroon 5 and P!nk, okay? I like other things too."

"Like what?" Tony questioned, wondering if she was going to declare Lady Gaga or Taylor Swift next on her list of favorites.

"I happen to really love Vampire Weekend and the 1975." Mia told him, wanting to prove that she had other music tastes that weren't just pop. Tony just stared at her.

"You're making me feel a lot older than I want to feel, Snow White. I literally have no idea who you're talking about." Tony deadpanned but Mia wasn't offended. She just smiled genuinely for the first time since arriving. It was the first smile he had been able to get from her since their meeting at the charity auction. The smile looked good on her, making her look younger than twenty nine which was already young in Tony's books. Tony then assessed her appearance just as he did the other day at her publishing company's headquarters.

The brunette was dressed somewhat professionally but at the same time casually. It was summer now so the novelist had dressed for the weather with a summer dress that complimented her small figure. It was a red floral patterned faux wrap dress with an a-line skirt, short billowing sleeves, and a sweetheart neckline that displayed a modest amount of cleavage that Tony would be lying if he said he hadn't noticed although he felt a bit guilty for looking. _You're not the old Tony,_ he told himself scoldingly. _You're not the billionaire who leers at young women and flirts with them. That's not you anymore._

Tony wasn't an expert in fashion but he couldn't help but notice that she dressed quite differently than Pepper had. He couldn't help but compare the two either since Mia was the first woman he had been in company of in quite some time. It also made sense that Pepper's attire was slightly different since Pepper was quite a bit older than Mia. Her wardrobe consisting of business like attire as well as neutral colors and the like.

Mia's wardrobe was different.

It was colorful and she dressed more like she was going for a stroll through the park on a warm sunny day. Tony didn't mind the change. Just with her being there, she seemed to magically brighten up the barren space. He usually didn't like coming to the Avengers Common Area. The room felt cold and empty without anyone there and it reminded him of how alone he truly was. No Avengers and no Pepper. However, he didn't feel the same way now with Mia there. He didn't know if it had to do with the fact that he wasn't alone or if it was just because of her but the room didn't feel so empty in that moment.

"I didn't mean to make you feel old, Mr. Stark." Mia told him politely and Tony was broken out of his thoughts. He took yet another sip from his scotch as he casually looked over at her.

"And you're going to keep making me feel old as long as you call me Mr. Stark." He pointed out and Mia just smiled. She honestly thought she would feel weird calling him anything other than Mr. Stark. He was right earlier when he said she didn't work for him but he still felt like a superior to her. She didn't know if it was because of his age or Avenger status but referring to him as Tony didn't feel right. Besides…she still didn't know why he wanted her to write his biography and she thought it would be best to create some boundaries.

"So are you ready?" Mia asked nervously as she decided to veer this conversation over to the real reason she was there. Tony just raised an eyebrow at her as he swallowed the last of his scotch. He supposed there was no other way around this. Getting deep and personal wasn't on his to-do list but he didn't have any other choice. Pepper always tried telling him that a biography would be good PR but he hadn't listened to her until she was already gone.

"Yup. Let's get my sob story over with." Tony told her, acting as though he didn't care either way but in all honesty he kind of did. This was a big deal for him because the truth of his whole life story would be public record and the idea of that made him slightly anxious. Mia hit the record button on her voice memo app and waited for him to begin.

"I guess I should start things off with my dad. That seems like a good place to start...or bad. Depending on how you look at my dad." Tony started to say as Mia patiently listened. She knew a little bit about his dad from the limited amount of research she had been doing for the past week on the Stark family. "He grew up poor on the east side. His father sold fruit and his mother sewed shirtwaists. He was raised during the Great Depression but he always said that the Great Depression didn't affect you if you were already poor to begin with. I guess you could say that his story was a classic achievement of the American Dream. A rags to riches kind of thing." Tony then paused briefly as Mia made a couple notes in her notebook.

"My whole life people have told me what a great man he was...how amazing all his achievements were and how he made the world a better and safer place." Tony stated and he almost seemed like he was somewhere else. His gaze was distant and Mia wondered where his mind was.

"And what did _you_ think of him?" She asked him when he fell silent. Tony looked back at her, almost forgetting that she was in the room with him as he got lost in his thoughts. He just shrugged any sad memories from his childhood away as he gave her as honest of an answer as he could.

"I thought he was a cold and calculating bastard. He always locked himself away in his lab and had little time for anything else. Especially me." Tony answered her and Mia found herself sympathetic in his relationship with his father. Her relationship with her own father was on thin ice. Mostly because she had never forgiven her father for leaving all those years ago but she could still see where Tony was coming from. "He never told me he loved me let alone liked me. My mom used to tell me that he was just trying to toughen me up to be more independent but I don't know. I think my dad was just that distant."

"The only person he seemed to have any preference for was ole' Capsicle himself." Tony said almost bitterly and Mia raised her eyebrows in surprise. She knew Howard Stark and Steve Rogers had been somewhat friends during the second world war but she had no idea Howard Stark held Steve Rogers in that high of regard.

"Steve Rogers?" Mia asked in surprise and Tony nodded.

"Yeah. He was always going on and on about how fucking great Steve Rogers was. How he was the perfect angel and how I would do myself some good in trying to be more like him." Tony said as he rolled his eyes. "Fat chance of that ever happening."

"Has that complicated your relationship with Captain Rogers?" Mia asked curiously, unable to stop the words from coming out of her mouth. She blushed when Tony looked at her. "Sorry. Was that too far?" Tony just shook his head at her.

"You're writing my biography, aren't you?" Tony asked rhetorically before continuing. "You're allowed to ask intrusive questions." Tony sighed heavily before finally answering her question.

"But to answer your question...yes. I think it has complicated my relationship with Steve. It's hard spending time around a man that has your father's respect when you never did." Tony said honestly as Mia listened to him intently. "The most annoying part is that I don't think Steve thought as much of my father as my father thought of him. Sure, they were friends but Steve didn't overthink it that much."

"So you think it doesn't matter to Captain Rogers that he had your father's approval?" Mia inquired with the same curiosity as before. Tony shook his head.

"No. I just think that it isn't something Cap spent his time wondering about." Tony explained. "I'm just saying that he was oblivious to everything...well, everything that mattered to me, at least."

"So your whole life you were being compared to Captain Rogers?" Mia asked, wanting his in depth take on his relationships with both his father and Steve Rogers. Mia didn't mean to pry but she knew his relationships with those two men were going to be central in showing who Tony Stark was a person rather than just him being Iron Man. While Mia didn't have much experience writing biographies, she was familiar with the concept of allowing the reader to see the humanity within the main character of a story. In this story, Tony Stark was the main character so it was important for the reader to see who he was as a person before seeing him as just another Avenger.

"In one way or another. I guess, I see now that my dad was only trying to make me into a better person than he was but back then I took everything so personally." Tony told her and Mia was surprised at how honest and sincere he was being with her. She thought that he might've been a tad bit more closed off after hearing how reclusive he had been after the Sokovia Accords but she was proven wrong. Mia supposed he wouldn't have volunteered a biography of himself if he wasn't ready to give out personal information.

"Did you ever tell Captain Rogers about this?" Mia inquired curiously and Tony's eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Tony questioned and Mia swallowed hard before responding.

"Well, you're saying that you were always being compared to him mixed together with the fact that your father put him on some kind of pedestal." Mia said carefully, cautious not to somehow offend the billionaire. "Maybe Captain Rogers would've had something to say about all of this." Tony scoffed.

"I don't know who you think we are, Snow White, but Cap and I weren't the heart-to-heart kind of guys. We didn't talk about our feelings or have Avenger family therapy sessions." Tony said sarcastically and Mia sort of regretted asking. _No wonder the Avengers broke up,_ Mia thought to herself, _the team was filled with stubborn old men who didn't want to talk things out because they were too macho apparently._ "In fact, Cap would've pulled that little guilt filled face of his and give me the whole speech about how bad he felt about causing trouble between my father and I. Then I would've felt even shittier than before."

"Why?" Mia questioned and Tony just shook his head.

"Because Cap has this astounding way of being so polite you just want to punch him in the teeth. Sometimes he's _too_ nice. So self-righteous, patriotic, and all that garbage." Tony complained loudly and Mia raised an eyebrow.

"So you're saying he doesn't have a mean streak?" Mia inquired and a dark look crossed Tony's face as he remembered the fight in Siberia. The look in Cap's eyes right before he drove his shield down into Tony's arc reactor. Tony still had a lot of anger and resentment over what transpired during those events. Betrayal is something that frequented his mind whenever he thought of Cap which was why he found that he didn't really like talking about Steve. Not for this amount of time, at least.

"Everyone has a dark side." Tony told her before hurriedly changing the subject to something else, his demeanor relaxing as he forced his thoughts away from Cap and Barnes. "Anyways...what about you?"

"Excuse me?" Mia asked in confusion, not knowing what Tony was talking about. The billionaire shrugged nonchalantly as his usual smirk returned to his face. Mia wished she could say that the smirk was unattractive on him but she'd be lying.

"What's your family like? Hopefully not as fucked up as mine." Tony said as if that explained his odd and random question. Mia shook her head.

"Mr. Stark, this isn't about me. I'm writing _your_ biography. Not my own." She explained but Tony wasn't having it.

"Come on, McCallum. We need to establish a relationship of trust here." Tony told her and Mia scoffed.

"You do realize that I'm not interrogating you, right?" She asked him before moving on. "If there's certain information that's off limits then you don't have to tell me. No one's forcing you to do anything." Tony just waved his hand dismissively.

"I'm just saying that I would feel more comfortable if I knew a bit more about you." Tony told her but somehow she didn't believe him. Mia didn't think Tony was capable of being uncomfortable. He didn't strike her as the uncomfortable type. She sighed heavily before caving into him. Tony Stark was a very hard person to say no to. Everyone always said that but she was finding more and more truth within that statement.

"Okay, fine." Mia said as she finally relented. "I'm from Maine."

"You think I didn't already know that?" Tony said with a bored look on his face. Mia playfully glared at him.

"Right. I forgot you have an Edward Snowden level talent for stalking people online." Mia retorted much to Tony's amusement before she continued. "I have an older sister named Holly who's married with two kids. My niece Alyssa who's seven and my nephew Finn who's five."

"You're an aunt?" Tony asked in disbelief before muttering something under his breath. "You've gotta be kidding me. First May and now this. Where were all the hot aunts when I was younger?"

"What?" Mia questioned, not quite hearing what he was saying and Tony just shook his head as he urged her to go on.

"Nothing, nothing. Keep going." Tony told her and Mia just gave him an odd look before she continued.

"My parents divorced when I was eleven so that was kind of life changing, I guess, but it wasn't that bad. Two Christmases and two birthdays was always fun." Mia said as she pretended like her childhood was ideal and not as fucked up as she remembered. She didn't think her childhood was anything like Tony's but a child of divorce never necessarily had it easy. Being caught in the middle of two adults who hated each other was never ideal for any child. "Anyways...my mom still lives in Maine while my dad lives with his other family in Florida."

"Dad issues too, huh?" Tony mused knowingly, he didn't miss the icy tone she had when she talked about her father. Mia just stared at him before collecting herself and answering him.

"No." Mia denied. "I don't have any issues with my dad."

"Really?" Tony questioned doubtfully and Mia stubbornly nodded.

"Yes. No issues whatsoever." Mia told him and Tony just gave her an amused look because she was such a bad liar. It wasn't her fault. She was just so painfully easy to read.

"So why did he leave?" Tony asked knowingly and Mia sighed. She should've known that she wasn't that believable. Michael always used to tell her how bad of a liar she was.

"He slept with my fifth grade science teacher's teaching aide." Mia said, blushing in embarrassment as Tony curiously listened to her with his full, undivided attention on Mia. "She was thirteen years his junior and they got caught in an abandoned classroom after school by a bunch of first graders. My mom made us switch schools afterwards because it was so humiliating."

"Wow, and I thought my dad was an asshole. Your dad really takes the cake for that." Tony quipped but Mia wasn't offended. No, she even found herself smiling at his remark because usually people didn't react that way when she told them that story about her father. Usually they were horrified but Tony seemed both understanding and good-humored about it.

"Anyways...they're married now with a couple kids so at least you can't say it was for nothing."

Mia said as she tried to be cheerful about the whole thing even though a part of her kind of resented her father's new family. It was a childish thing to hold on to but she never forgave her father for just up and leaving them for a new life with his new wife and new kids. Brianna and Nathan who were the replacements of Mia and Holly. His new kids which he was actually there for. Mia barely remembered how old her half-siblings were. Nathan must've been seventeen now and Brianna was probably around fourteen.

"He still sounds like an asshole to me." Tony said bluntly but Mia didn't bother defending her father. She was way past defending him against people who called him names or cast judgement on him. The days of Mia caring what people thought about her father were long over.

"You wouldn't be the first one to say that and you probably won't be the last either." Mia told him as she returned her gaze back to her notebook. "So is that enough for you? Should we continue where we left off with your dad or do you want to start off somewhere else?"

Tony actually only had about a hundred questions for the young brunette sitting across from him. Some that had to do with the ring on her finger that Tony had glanced over at about nine times during the entire conversation. He had so many questions regarding that ring. Tony obviously knew her husband was dead but he wanted to know more. His curiosity was just overpowering like that. Bruce always told him he was too nosy for his own good but Tony thought he had a healthy amount of curiosity. That's what made him so successful but some would argue that it was also what caused him to fail so many times too. However, a part of his conscience, what little of it was left, held him back from asking about her husband. He didn't know if she was touchy about the subject, he could only assume she was because she was still wearing the ring, but he didn't want to start this thing off on the wrong foot.

"I guess we can talk about the time I made my first circuit board when I was four. I don't remember it much but my mom put a scrapbook together of that time period." Tony told her and Mia had to remind herself she was dealing with a genius. He was probably a child prodigy or something. God...a circuit board at four? Mia didn't even know what a circuit board was and she was twenty nine. What had Mia done when she was four? She was probably learning how to spell her name or about shapes and colors. Not very impressive when you put it next to building whatever the hell a circuit board was.

"Mom was always the nostalgic one." Tony said before pausing for a brief moment as he looked back at the interested looking brunette. "You know, I didn't think you would come today." Mia looked surprised at his abrupt remark, taken back by the suddenness of it.

"What?" She questioned in confusion.

"I thought you'd stand me up." Tony told her honestly and Mia just stared back at him silently. "I would've understood it if you hadn't shown up. I know this whole thing's pretty weird."

"Well, I said I was going to do this so I am." Mia replied, saying the only thing she could think of. It was true. If Mia hadn't really wanted to do this then she never would've signed the paperwork to do so. So far Mia didn't have any regrets in agreeing to do this. She was learning a lot and it was nice to talk to someone outside her usual group of people. Someone who didn't ask her how she was doing and more importantly someone who hadn't known Michael. It was nice because it was different.

"I should warn you that not all of this is going to be easy to hear." Tony said as he warned the innocent looking young woman. "There was a lot of wild nights during the nineties. Some of which I don't even remember."

"Mr. Stark, I used to read my mother's gossip magazines during middle school. I'm well aware of your past. I think everyone is." Mia said calmly and she honestly doubted that anything he did in his past would shock her. Considering who she used to be married to, Tony Stark's past indiscretions probably wouldn't even compare.

"Really?" Tony said in disbelief. "Middle School? Are you ever not going to make me feel old?" Mia just smiled at him as she continued to draw indistinguishable little doodles in her notebook absentmindedly.

"Well, you should know that you were every girl's celebrity crush in the seventh grade." Mia said, surprising even herself by encouraging their banter. Tony just looked back at her in amusement. "Until Leonardo DiCaprio came along, of course." Tony actually laughed when he heard that. Mia took the time to admire how much younger he looked when he smiled. There was a certain amount of youthfulness she wouldn't have otherwise believed had she not seen him laugh.

"And what about you?" Tony asked her, a mischievous glint in his dark eyes.

"What?" She questioned in confusion.

"Were you team DiCaprio or team Stark?" Tony elaborated and Mia only blushed a little before answering him, a teasing smile on her face.

"I was actually team Timberlake." Mia retorted and the billionaire gave her a feigned disappointed look but he was thoroughly amused by Mia's response.

Tony thought his curiosity in her would fade the more he got to know her but if anything Tony found himself even more curious about her. He didn't know why she had to be the one to write the biography, he didn't know a reason that made sense anyways, nor did he know why he was so fascinated by her. However, Tony did know that through the entirety of this conversation he had with her, he didn't feel as lonely or miserable as he normally felt in the huge tower by himself. This was the first time he had laughed in months. It felt great to laugh...maybe even uplifting a little. Not that he considered himself an uplifting person but he felt happier for a brief moment in time.

"Great. I'm really starting to wish I got Stephen King to write my biography instead. At least he's twisted enough to do it." Tony remarked and Mia just shook her head in amusement as she looked back down at her notebook again. She noticed how easy it was to get off topic with him. He was a person who could probably ramble on about a hundred different topics all at once. It was a much more charming trait than she thought would be possible.

"Would you like to continue this, Mr. Stark, or would you like to continue to talk about nineties heartthrobs?" Mia asked him and Tony just smirked at her.

"So now I'm a nineties heartthrob?" Tony asked suggestively and Mia rolled her eyes at him.

"So you were saying before…" Mia started off, pointedly ignoring his previous comment, as she strove to be more professional from here on out. Although, she thought trying to be professional around Tony was going to be an impossible task to accomplish. Tony still had that annoying, yet weirdly charming, smirk on his face as he went along with it anyways.

"Right. So I started building the circuit board when I was four. Dad wasn't that impressed but when was he ever impressed by anything I did?" Tony asked rhetorically as Mia began to take notes of the _way_ he talked about things to add into the book later. "I don't even remember doing it. It was so long ago. It must've been impressive...or so everyone said."

He paused briefly as he tried to recall the time he made the circuit board so Mia took the time to ask a question that she was semi-embarrassed to even be asking. A part of her didn't even want to ask in fear of him thinking she was some dumb bimbo who didn't know the difference between a circuit board and motherboard. Well, she actually didn't know the difference. Was there a difference? Was there not a difference? Mia didn't know.

"Okay...so I really have to ask but what's a circuit board?" Mia finally asked him and this was the first time she had seen Tony Stark truly shocked. The billionaire gave her a dumbfounded look so Mia was eager to quickly explain herself to avoid further embarrassment. "I've obviously heard of the term before but what is it really?"

"I can't believe I'm even in the same room as you right now. This is…no. How have you even-" Tony said as he then stopped himself, momentarily speechless at Mia's question. It was the first time he had been driven speechless by something in a while. He had to give her credit for that. "Okay. I don't think I even have any words right now."

"Does it do anything?" Mia questioned curiously and Tony felt the strong urge to face palm at that moment. Tony laughed incredulously as he tried to find the right words to even express what he was feeling right now.

"What does it _do_? I-" Tony stopped himself once more as he scoffed before continuing, trying to take a deep breath before finally explaining what a circuit board actually was...even though he never thought it would be something he had to explain. "Okay. I'm just going to ignore how disturbing this is and explain it this way…"

Mia probably spaced out a couple times during his explanation and she also had to ask him to practically draw her a diagram with arrows pointing to everything yet she still failed to understand what exactly a circuit board was and what it did. Even so, Mia decided that she thought she could actually spend an extensive amount of time around Tony like what was required of her. She had originally been afraid that she wouldn't like the kind of person he was which would make this job even more difficult but that wasn't the case. He certainly wasn't what she expected and that was a good thing. Mia knew it was probably too soon to make any quick judgements but she decided that she _liked_ him. She just hoped that she could emulate the Tony Stark, that was explaining the workings of a circuit board to her, through words. Mia just wasn't sure words would be enough to describe him. Tony Stark was truly one of a kind. That was one thing she learned from their first session.


	11. Chapter Ten

**Author's Note: Sorry it's been a while. I actually wrote a lot of this chapter weeks ago but I got writer's block on the last part but I finally finished it. I meant to update earlier but I went to see Halloween late last night so I slept in. Anyways...the chapter's finally here. Thank god although I have to mention Mia and Michael were really inspired by Jackson Maine and Allie from A Star is Born in this chapter.**

 **Thanks for all the follows and favorites. I can't believe I'm at a hundred favorites on this story. That really means a lot and thank you guys so much.**

 **Ronnie. H: The part of Mia not knowing what a circuit board is kind of stems from me. I'm really clueless about technology. I wish I updated Sweet Dreams more too but right now Sweet Dreams, Rose Garden Dreams, and Dry Bite are kind of my slow moving projects since I'm focusing more attention on my other four stories.** **Hopefully I'll have some time to update those two in the future.**

 **youngadelaide98: I'm so grateful for that book for giving me the idea of this story. I had no idea of how Mia could see Tony on a regular basis without her being an assistant or for them to start instantly dating. I know I didn't want either so Mia writing his biography was the perfect way for them to get to know each other and for this story to able to be a slow burn.**

 **lovelyfairywren: I'm glad you like my portrayal of Tony in this fic. I wanted to make him his usual funny and eccentric self without making him into an asshole. I think he was more of an asshole before all the stuff in the cave went down and I wanted to emphasize that in this story. If Tony's flirting in this story then it's just him being his usual charming self and if he's being rude or mean then it's because he's kind of oblivious and at times tactless. It's not because he's a horrible person which I think other stories sometimes make him seem.**

 **emmagnestised: Well, Mia is writing Tony's biography and Tony knows that he's going to have to divulge personal stuff to her. Obviously there's a connection already there so Tony feels a bit more comfortable than usual about this(more comfortable than he would with an actual journalist anyways) but he also wants to find a way for the Avengers to win the public's trust back so he's kind of sacrificing himself this way.**

 **Peter will eventually show up in this story but probably more in the Spider-Man: Homecoming storyline which isn't quite here yet. We're in the summer before Spider-Man: Homecoming, which took place in September, so it still might take a while. I might show Tony's perspective during some of the Homecoming storyline but Mia won't actively be in it. I imagine she might meet Peter shortly after the Homecoming storyline though.**

 **heartee: I love writing Mia and Tony's banter too. I obviously wanted them to have great chemistry and I figured that Mia would have to be able to hold her own in bantering with Tony Stark for any chemistry to work. Mia also kind of understands what it's like to have a broken relationship with your father which will make her more sympathetic. She'll know when to not push and she'll also change the subject if he needs it too.**

 **crzychigurl343: I actually intended to make Tony and Michael similar. I'm not making them exactly the same or anything. I doubt anyone could be exactly like Tony. It's just not possible. However, I wanted there to be similarities which I think would make Mia more understanding of Tony's behavior or some of his antics if she had been with someone like him before. Preparation in a weird, twisted way. Anyways...I think Mia will kind of see small similarities which will have a heavy impact on her and Tony's relationship but she'll also see a lot of differences which won't make him a Michael replacement...just in case anyone's worrying about that happening because it won't in this story.**

 **Assbitch67: I'll probably make Mia's taste in music a little bit different than Emma's in this story. She'll definitely like some indie bands but she'll also really love pop music.**

 **bonitolito: Thank you. I'm always afraid I'm not writing Tony right so thanks for the reassurance.**

 **Anonanon: So I looked over that chapter again and realized that I wasn't specific enough when writing it. I meant that Tony shook her hand and then when he got closer to her, he noticed the rings on her other hand. Sometimes I think that everyone can just see and know the things I do which is stupid because no one can read minds. I'm going to fix that after updating. Thanks for letting me know.**

 **Andy Frost: I realize it can be trying when reading a story and just wanting to see more interaction between the love interests but Mia's past with Michael is very important to her character as well as any future relationship she might have with Tony. So I'm going to keep writing flashbacks but I'm not so sure they're going to be as long as the one in this chapter and previous chapters. They'll probably be a lot shorter now since we've already seen the beginning of her relationship with Michael and the complexity of it. I estimate about four more flashbacks at most. 3-4. It really depends but they'll be way shorter than the ones we've seen so far. One of those flashbacks might involve Tony in a very subtle way. I'm really excited to write that chapter but I know it's a couple chapters away.**

 **Peter won't be around for a while. At least not any interaction with Mia but he'll definitely be mentioned a lot. Once he and Mia meet, he'll be in the story a lot more after that.**

 **Thanks to JesiLea, Kari10, and Love. Fiction. 2018 for reviewing as well. Thanks to everyone for their reviews and please let me know what you think about this chapter. Sorry for the super long author's note.**

* * *

 **2006**

Mia wished that she could say summer vacation had been fun or eventful.

However, if she said that then she would just be lying.

Her summer vacation had actually been very terrible. Not because she didn't like her internship at Cosmopolitan UK or that she hated how annoying Emily's London friends were.

It was actually because she left her heart back in Edinburgh as much as she tried to lie to herself.

Mia was crazy about Michael and she missed him with every inch of her being. Most importantly, Mia was incredibly worried about him. She tried to keep up with the news to see if an article popped up about the son of English nobility dying of an overdose but fortunately she never found said article. Mia would feel relieved for a moment or two before she would grow worried again. Even with being in another country, Mia couldn't stop thinking of anything other than him.

Emily thought a summer spent in London would be good for her. Her aunt's house in London was about twice the size of Mia's childhood home in Portland and it was everything one would expect a wealthy Londoner to have. Although, Mia thought the house was a lot more modern than what she expected from a member of an old English family. The art inside the house was stunning and far beyond Mia's comprehension while the entire house was spotless. Mia was surprised that someone who was related to Emily could be that tidy until she learned that Emily's aunt had a couple maids on staff.

It was nice spending time in London which wasn't Edinburgh but definitely had it's perks.

Mia never imagined she would ever get the opportunity to intern for such a large magazine like Cosmopolitan. Sure, it wasn't exactly what she had in mind when she pictured herself as a successful writer but it was a stepping stone. Everyone had to start somewhere, right?

"Hey, have you seen my rabbit?" Emily asked as she walked into Mia's room without even knocking. Mia and Emily had returned to Edinburgh the month before because of school starting back up. They were still in the process of unpacking all their things since they were a couple of lazy nineteen year olds. Mia just rolled her eyes at the blonde.

"Oh, you mean Joaquin Phoenix? No, I haven't seen your vibrator because believe it or not, Emily, I don't go looking through your things for your sex toys." Mia said, her voice laced with sarcasm. Emily just smirked at the brunette.

"You're such a little prude, Kazan." Emily told her and Mia scoffed.

"Look, I don't know where your vibrator is so go look elsewhere." Mia told her friend as she began to organize her collection of cds. "Also, never ask me that again."

"That's actually not why I'm here. I just thought I would ask while I'm in your room." Emily told her and Mia gave her a confused look.

"Then why are you here?" She asked the blonde who just shrugged nonchalantly.

"I came here to tell you that Michael's here." Emily told her bluntly much to Mia's astonishment. Mia's eyes widened in surprise as she tried to process what Emily just told her. Michael was there...at the apartment? Michael who she had broken up with months ago and Michael who she hadn't been able to stop thinking about.

"What?" She questioned despite knowing exactly what Emily had told her. Emily just nodded.

"Yeah, he's in the living room." Emily informed her and Mia shook her head in disbelief.

"You let him in?!" Mia exclaimed in a hushed voice, careful not to let Michael hear her. "What the fuck, Emily?!"

"What was I supposed to do? Not let him in?" Emily argued and Mia scoffed before furiously nodding.

"Yes." She said as though it were obvious and Emily rolled her eyes.

"He wanted to see you." Emily told her and Mia shook her head, her heart racing inside her chest.

"Just go back out there and tell him I'm not here." Mia said as she practically ordered Emily around. She normally wasn't so pushy but she was in a panicked state right now.

"I can't do that." Emily told her and Mia just raised her eyebrows.

"Why not?" She questioned.

"Because I already told him you were here." Emily said sheepishly and Mia just stared at her in disbelief.

"Why would you do that?" Mia asked her incredulously and Emily shrugged.

"He had a really sad look on his face and I felt bad for him." Emily explained and Mia sighed heavily as she ran her hand over her face.

Well, she was definitely screwed now.

It's not that she didn't want to see Michael because she really did. She wanted to see if he was okay but Mia didn't want to get pulled back into anything with him. Not now. She had to worry about classes and her future. Mia didn't want to see Michael because she knew it would become impossible for her to stay away from him. That would prove to be unhealthy if he was still in the same place she had left him before she left for London.

"Okay. I'll see him." Mia said as she finally caved in. She didn't think that it was that difficult for her to say yes. Probably because she was secretly dying to see Michael again.

"Brittany and I will go out for some drinks in the meantime to give you two some privacy." Emily told her, referring to their other roommate. Mia practically pouted when Emily told her that.

"You can't." Mia whined. "Please don't leave me alone with him." Emily rolled her eyes at the short brunette.

"Don't be such a baby, Amelia." Emily told her. "If you're that afraid of jumping his bones the second you see him then text me so I can bail you out."

"That's not what I'm afraid of." Mia retorted, blushing a vibrant shade of red. Emily gave her a doubtful look.

"Of course not." Emily said sarcastically as she began to leave the room with Mia in tow. Mia was desperately trying to calm herself down as she prepared herself to see her ex boyfriend for the first time in a while. Last time she had seen him he was high beyond belief so she didn't know what to expect this time around.

Most importantly, she didn't know what he wanted.

"We'll just be around the corner if you need anything, Amelia." Emily told her friend as they walked into the living room. Brittany was already there waiting for Emily by the front door. However, it wasn't Brittany that had Mia's attention when she walked into the room.

It was Michael.

From the moment Mia stepped foot into that room, nothing could take her eyes off Michael. He was suddenly the only thing in the room. Emily and Brittany were nowhere within her line of sight as she stared at the very same person she hadn't been able to stop thinking about since she left. Old feelings returned in that instant as she locked eyes with him. It was almost like nothing had changed between the time she left and now.

Almost.

He didn't look like how she remembered. He seemed almost...healthier. His dark hair was somehow shinier and his eyes were more bright than they had been before. Of course, Mia couldn't know if this meant he was off drugs. He had been on drugs when they were dating yet she hadn't had a fucking clue. For all Mia knew he could be as high as fuck right now.

"Amelia." He said softly as he stared back at her and Mia blushed under his gaze. His familiar pale blue eyes were locked onto her face as if he could see nothing but her too. Mia had forgotten how he could make her feel when he set his eyes on her. With one look he could make her feel like the only girl in the room. It was almost like magic. Mia knew how corny that sounded but she was nineteen and believed in things like that.

"Hey, Michael." Mia greeted somewhat shyly and it was then that they were both reminded that they weren't the only two people in the room.

"We'll be back, Mia." Brittany told her. "Text us if you need anything."

"Thanks." Mia replied. Brittany just gave her friend one last smile before the smile faded into a warning look when she looked at Michael.

"Don't fuck this up again, McCallum." Emily told her childhood friend in passing as both she and Brittany began to exit the apartment. Michael glared at the blonde's back until the door closed behind her, leaving both him and Mia alone.

The glare quickly fell off his face as he looked back at Mia. They didn't say anything for a couple minutes. Neither one of them knew what they could say to address the elephant in the room.

Michael was the one to make the first move.

"Um...how was your internship in London?" Michael inquired hesitantly as if he was testing the waters. Mia didn't know what else to do other than respond.

"It was good. Really uh...good." Mia said awkwardly as she nervously fiddled with a loose piece of thread on the hem of her t-shirt. "I think I might intern there next year too. I learned a lot while I was there."

"That's good." Michael told her and Mia swallowed hard as she noticed his gaze was unwavering as he stared back at her. She bit her lip nervously before speaking up again.

"You look good." Mia said, internally wincing at how awkward she sounded. "I mean...you look better than...or...I-" Michael interrupted her, sensing her trouble in finding the right thing to say.

"I admitted myself into rehab." He stated and Mia looked at him in surprise, not expecting that.

"What?" She questioned and he nodded solemnly.

"Right after you left I decided to admit myself into rehab. It was a ways away but it was very peaceful and quiet." Michael told her as Mia listened to him in astonishment. "I just got out a couple days ago."

"Wow." Mia breathed before continuing. "That's amazing, Michael. I...sorry. I don't know what to say." Michael just smiled at her.

"That's okay." He said before he went on to describe his time at rehab. "It was nice there. I worked a lot on my art. It was probably the first time I worked on my art in a long time. I swam quite a bit too. They have a really big pool there."

"I don't know what else to say other than I'm happy for you." Mia said, still in a state of surprise over this news. "I'm glad you're doing better, Michael. I really am."

"Thank you." Michael replied. "I've been sober for exactly ninety seven days now."

"I'm proud of you." Mia told him honestly because she really was proud of him. When Emily told her that Michael was there at their apartment, she didn't know what to expect. A part of her thought she would see the same high and drunk Michael she had seen all those months ago. Mia certainly hadn't been expecting a sober Michael who seemed much healthier than he had been before.

"I know it's not a long time but it's a start." Michael said, seeming slightly sheepish all of a sudden. Mia shook her head.

"No. This is really good, Michael." Mia said, not letting him trivialize his sobriety. "I'm glad you're doing better. This is good news."

They then fell into another round of silence, neither of them knowing what to say next. Usually Mia would let Michael take the wheel and start the conversation up again but she didn't this time. There was too many questions on her mind that prevented her from staying silent.

"Why are you here, Michael?" Mia asked him abruptly and Michael's eyes widened in surprise at her bluntness. It wasn't like Mia to be so blunt.

"What do you mean?" He questioned and Mia sighed heavily before explaining herself.

"Not that I'm not happy about your sobriety but we didn't exactly end things on good terms last time we saw each other." Mia told him and a sad look crossed Michael's face as she told him this.

"I came here to apologize to you." Michael told her earnestly as Mia stared back at him. "I know I was a terrible boyfriend."

"You lied to me, Michael. You hurt me." Mia told him, a feeling of melancholy sweeping over her as she realized that she was still hurt over what Michael had done. Not because she held grudges but because she loved him and it hurt beyond belief when the person you love hurts you. Especially in the way Michael had.

"I know I did. It was never my intention but I'm still sorry. I wish I could go back and somehow be a better boyfriend...a better person." Michael told her and Mia just shook her head.

"Michael, I never had a boyfriend before you. I never felt the way I did about you with another person." She said and she could feel her eyes start to flood with tears. Michael gave her a hurt look.

"Are you saying you don't feel the same way about me anymore?" Michael asked her and Mia swallowed hard as she tried to force some of the tears away. She could tell him the truth but then it would make it that much harder to keep her distance from him. She knew he wouldn't let her turn away if he knew she still felt the same way about him.

"I just…" She trailed off as she tried to find the right words to convey what she was feeling. "It just hurt me when you lied the way you did. I feel like I don't even know you. How am I supposed to know the difference between high you and sober you?"

"Get to know me now then." Michael said suddenly with a determined look on his face and Mia stared at him in shock.

"What?" She questioned. Michael sighed as he took her hand into his, his thumb gently stroking the top of her hand. Mia's heart raced from the small but loving gesture.

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about you all summer." Michael told her as he stared into her eyes. "When I was in rehab, the thought of you was all that kept me going...the only thing that made me want to get sober."

"Michael, I told you that I wanted you to get sober for you. Not for me." Mia told him, frightened at the way he was speaking.

"Mia, it's not like that." Michael told her as he tried to explain what he meant. "Don't you see? You make me want to be a better person."

"What are you saying?" Mia questioned, trying to hide the way he was making her feel in that moment. She felt the urge to tell him how much she missed him and how she was hopelessly in love with him but she also knew she had to be rational in a situation like this. Michael wasn't healthy for her, she knew that, so she needed to keep that in mind. As much as she wanted to be with him again, she didn't think it was a good idea. "Do you want to get back together? Pick up where we left off? We didn't exactly leave off in a good place, Michael."

"I'm not saying that I want to pick up where we left off." Michael said as he swallowed hard before putting himself out there for hurt and rejection. He knew there was a chance Mia would turn him down but he was willing to at least try to get her back. He'd never forgive himself if he didn't try. "I'm saying that I want to start over."

"Start over?" Mia questioned in surprise. That wasn't what she had been expecting to hear. Michael just nodded.

"Let's just start fresh. A new beginning." Michael told her and Mia shook her head.

"Michael, I-" She started to say but Michael didn't want her to give him an answer until she heard everything he wanted her to hear from him.

"I'm in love you, Mia." Michael told her abruptly and Mia could only watch him in surprise. "I have been for a while. I'm not sure when but at some point I've fallen hard for you, love."

"That's just the drugs talking." Mia said as she tried to deny his feelings but he just shook his head.

"It's not." Michael said as he tried to reassure her. "I've been sober for over three months and nothing's changed. I'm still as madly in love with you as I was before."

"Michael, please don't say this." Mia said, desperately wanting to be anywhere but in that room with him. She was starting to feel scared at his declaration because she knew it made it that much harder to stay away from him.

"Don't you feel the same?" He questioned as he frowned.

"That's not the point." Mia said as she tried to avoid the topic. "I can't do this again, Michael. I can't walk into your apartment and find you high on god knows what."

"Mia-" Michael started to say but she didn't let him speak.

"I was so afraid that you were going to die. That whole night keeps replaying in my head. I can't forget it." Mia told him as a tear escaped her eye.

"I'm not asking you to forget it." Michael told her.

"I just can't do it." Mia said and Michael felt his heart breaking a little at the look on her face. He never meant to hurt her like this. He never meant to but it was clear to him that he still did despite his intentions. Michael wished that he could be better for her. He already knew he didn't deserve her but he was selfish. His life had been incredibly shitty up until she showed up with her kind smile and eyes that were full of life. It was clear to Michael that she had never known pain or suffering which drew him to her. She was like a light in the darkness and she made Michael feel like he could be happy.

He knew very well that she could be the one who could save him.

"I'm sober now...for the first time ever. I'm sober and I'm going to stay that way." Michael said, promise in his eyes and Mia might've even naively believed him when he said that. She knew it was stupid to believe him but she hadn't had any experience with recovering drug addicts and alcoholics. Mia hadn't really seen drug addiction or alcoholism as a disease back then since she didn't know anything about it. Nineteen year old Mia thought it was a choice.

Boy, was she wrong.

"Michael…" She trailed off, not knowing what else to say. Mia had walked into this room intent on turning Michael down no matter he said. Yet somehow she wasn't so sure as she stood there in front of him. Michael seemed so sincere and full of promise that she believed him when he said that she was enough for him to want to stay sober.

"Tell me you don't feel the same way about me and I'll walk away, Mia. I won't bother you again." Michael told her as he searched her eyes, trying to see if he could spot any indication that she didn't feel the same. Mia swallowed hard as she stared back at him. She knew she couldn't lie to him.

"Of course I love you, Michael. I think I've been in love with you for a while now." Mia said truthfully and Michael could feel nothing but happiness and excitement at her admission. A part of him had been half terrified that she would say no but she hadn't. She loved him and even though he didn't think someone like her could love someone like him, she still did. "But I don't want to get hurt."

"I promise I'll never hurt you." Michael told her despite already having broken that promise. Mia failed to remember that little fact as she stood there in front of him, gazing into his eyes. She missed him so much that she didn't think she could ever part from him again. "Just give me another chance."

"Another chance…" Mia murmured but it was neither a question nor a statement.

Michael nodded as he leaned in closer to her. His lips were mere inches away from hers and Mia couldn't help but feel a pull to him as he closed the distance. She could've backed away at any moment and told him to leave but she didn't. Mia simply allowed her eyes to flutter shut as his lips crashed against hers.

Everything suddenly came back to her at the feel of his lips against hers and she began to forget why they even broke up in the first place. It was only then that Mia realized that she missed him more than she ever thought possible. There was no escape for her at this point. She was already head over heels in love with Michael McCallum.

They parted only when they felt the need to come up for air. Mia felt a bit woozy from the kiss, intoxicated by everything that was Michael, and Michael felt very similar to Mia as he moved away to get a good look at her.

She was just as beautiful as he remembered. Mia never believed him when he told her how beautiful she was, something about her lips being too thin or her nose being too large, but Michael was very adamant about this belief.

He knew that Mia was a rare sort of beauty that you were only so lucky if you found it. Her bright blue eyes filled with life and happiness, her smile enough to send your heart soaring, and her chestnut brown locks smelled sweet and floral. Everything about her Michael loved. Despite how Mia saw herself and despite the many insecurities she also had about herself, she was incredibly beautiful in his eyes. It wasn't just her beauty he was talking about either.

It was everything about her.

"You have no idea how much I've longed for this moment." Michael told her, his gaze soft as he stared back at her. Mia tried not to blush at his remark but she miserably failed. She tried not to let his words impact her too much either as she was determined to get a point across to him.

"I won't go through this again, Michael." She said quietly with a serious look on her face. Michael didn't doubt the sincerity in her statement for a second. "I just can't do it again. You hurt me a lot."

"I know and I'm sorry." Michael told her. "I promise that I won't make you do this again."

"The next time you do something like this, I won't take you back." Mia told him seriously and Michael felt his heart soar at her statement. Her statement gave him the smallest bit of hope. "I mean it, Michael. I don't want to be the girl who constantly cleans up her boyfriend's act. I don't want to be stuck in a constant time loop." Michael nodded furiously.

"I understand." Michael told her solemnly but he was still just happy about the fact that Mia was going to take him back. After everything he had done to her, she still found it in her heart to forgive him. Michael knew he didn't deserve her but he didn't care. He loved her too much to let her go. "Mia, I promise that I won't make you regret it. This will be a new chapter for us."

"I hope so." Mia told him but she was smiling this time, unable to contain herself from the excitement of being back in Michael's arms. Michael grinned at her, also unable to contain his happiness and excitement. He quickly pressed his lips against hers once more in a display of his own excitement.

The kiss was short but sweet.

"I love you." Michael told her as he pulled away to look down at her again. Mia giggled, finding his goofy grin infectious.

"I love you too, Michael." Mia replied with the same amount of happiness.

The young couple then spent the rest of the afternoon catching up with each other. Michael filling Mia in on all the friends he had made in the rehab facility while Mia told Michael about her internship and exciting adventures she spent fetching coffee for rude editors.

The couple was starting over again on a new page with Michael's sobriety and Mia's forgiveness but their problems were far from over. A recovering drug addict could never be cured as Mia naively believed. He would relapse again a year after their wedding despite what he promised her and Mia would take him back despite what _she_ promised _him_.

It seemed like neither of them were very good at keeping promises.

* * *

 **2016**

"So nothing else happened?" Holly Nicholson asked her younger sister as she lounged on Mia's couch. It was a couple days after Mia's first session with Tony Stark for the biography. She had only gotten a snippet of the beginning of his life which proved to be more telling than she would've thought possible. Mia had gone over the information numerous times already, overlooking her notebook as well as listening to the voice memo from the interview a lot too.

"No, nothing." Mia denied. "I mean, I asked him what a circuit board was and he explained it to me but I still have no idea what the hell that is or what it does."

"What's he like?" Holly wondered aloud, ignoring Mia's odd statement about circuit boards. Mia sighed heavily as she looked at her sister. Holly had just gotten off work and was in a weird in between period at Mia's apartment before she had to go over and pick up the kids from school.

"I don't know, Holly." Mia said as she thought about her encounter with Tony Stark. "He's very sarcastic and eccentric but that was to be expected."

"He's not a huge dick?" Holly questioned as she raised an eyebrow. "Because I heard he was kind of a dick." Mia furiously shook her head.

"No, he was perfectly nice to me. A huge flirt but otherwise nice." Mia told her honestly. "He's very funny too which I didn't expect. I mean, I've always heard that he has a hard time taking anything seriously but he wasn't an annoying kind of funny. He's a silly kind of funny."

"Huh." Holly said as she considered this only momentarily before moving the conversation over to something she was extremely interested in.

The topic of the tower.

"So what's it like?" Mia gave her sister a confused look.

"What's what like?" Mia questioned and Holly looked at her like she was stupid.

"The tower, of course." Holly told her before elaborating. "Everyone's obviously seen the outside of it but not many people have seen the inside. You're one of the lucky few, outside the people who actually work there, that's seen it. Where did you even go inside the tower?" Mia shrugged.

"I don't know. The receptionist called it the Avengers' Common Area." Mia informed her sister whose eyes widened in shock.

"The Avengers' Common Area?" Holly asked in disbelief. "This is just like the Fortress of Solitude. A superhero lair...and you were _in_ it." Mia rolled her eyes.

"I can't believe you even know what the Fortress of Solitude is." Mia told her sister who playfully glared at her.

"Yeah, well, I married a nerd. Sue me." Holly quipped before returning to the topic she was most interested in. "What's it even like in there? I can't even begin to imagine what's in a place like that."

"Well, it's enormous. I didn't really pay attention that much but there's a huge bar and I think I saw a pool table too." Mia mentioned, hoping that would satisfy her sister's curiosity for now.

"Did you see any Avengers there? I mean, other than Tony Stark." Holly asked and Mia looked at her in disbelief.

"Like who? The only other two Avengers who aren't war criminals?" Mia said sarcastically before growing more serious again. "No. There was only Mr. Stark."

"What did you two even talk about?" Holly asked her and Mia just gave her a look.

"You know I can't talk about that, Holly. It was deeply personal what Mr. Stark told me." Mia explained to her.

"Come on, Mia, it's going to be in a biography anyways." Holly retorted and Mia just sighed.

"Right, so you'll just have to wait like everyone else until then." Mia informed her and Holly rolled her eyes.

"I didn't realize you were such a protector of Tony Stark's privacy." Holly said sarcastically and Mia just shook her head at her.

"It's my job now, Holly." Mia told her honestly. "It's what I signed up for when I agreed to do this."

"You're not a journalist though. The protect your sources thing doesn't really apply to you." Holly pointed out and Mia just shrugged.

"I don't know. It just seems like the right thing to do." Mia told her sister. "Besides...Mr. Stark's receptionist gave me a press pass."

"What?" Holly questioned in disbelief.

"His receptionist, super rude by the way, actually made me wear a press pass." Mia said and Holly just shook her head.

"What a bitch." Holly remarked before deciding to change the subject to something more uplifting than the topic of Tony Stark. "So are you seeing anyone?" Mia looked at her sister in disbelief before scoffing.

"Wow, good segway." She said sarcastically and Holly laughed nervously before responding.

"What? I would just like to know if my little sister's dating life is up to par." Holly said innocently but Mia didn't buy into her act.

"Didn't we just have this same conversation two weeks ago?" Mia asked her sister who didn't even have the decency to look guilty.

"Well, I'm sorry. Okay?" Holly said as she tried to defend her inquiry. "I just want to make sure you're doing okay."

"You sound just like mom." Mia told her as she resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"You're not still dating those guys from Tinder, are you?" Holly asked her as she pointedly ignored her sister's remark.

"Don't make it sound like that." Mia said in an annoyed tone. Holly raised an eyebrow.

"Sound like what?" She questioned.

"Don't make it sound like I'm in danger or something." Mia told her.

"Well, I'm sorry but you need to stay off of fucking Tinder. You're going to get murdered and chopped up into tiny pieces." Holly informed her.

"I know Tinder sounds weird to a married person but it's honestly not that bad. It's not like I go home with any of these guys." Mia said as she tried to explain the concept of Tinder to someone who wasn't in the dating scene in their twenties. "Not on the first date, at least."

"You could do so much better than some random weird guys from Tinder." Holly argued.

"Dating when you're a twenty nine year old widow isn't that easy, Holly." Mia tried to tell her. "It's hard to meet guys."

"No, I get it." Holly said but Mia shook her head.

"No, you don't. You haven't been in the dating scene since college where you met Mark." Mia told her sister seriously. "You think it's bad but it's actually worse."

"Explain it to me then." Holly told her and Mia sighed heavily.

"Even if you meet a guy who seems somewhat decent and nice, more than likely he's not. He's typically a little creep that tells you that your personality is way more attractive than your looks. He says that he could be dating supermodels but he's a nice guy so he's dating you." Mia informed her as she ranted about the perils of dating as a twenty nine year old widow while Holly just listened in horror. "Or even worse, he pretends to be nice until you sleep together and then he ghosts you with no explanation whatsoever. Then you feel that maybe it's just you. Maybe _you're_ the problem and maybe _you_ did something wrong."

"Only you'll never know because you were ghosted." Mia finally said as she finally wrapped up her rant.

"I don't get the whole ghosting thing." Holly said, looking bewildered by everything Mia just said. "I can't believe grown men would actually do that. It sounds so stupid."

"Well, believe me. It's an actual thing." Mia told her before a slightly guilty look crossed her face. "Although...I might be guilty of doing the same thing."

"Mia...no." Holly said although she was kind of amused by her sister. Mia just smiled sheepishly.

"It was the only way to get rid of Channing Tatum look alike, okay?" Mia told her sister defensively. The strawberry blonde only shook her head in amusement before looking back at her sister, a serious look replacing the amused one on her face.

"Look, you just have to stop meeting these weirdos online. You're going to end up murdered. Mark and I are worried." Holly told her and Mia gave her a doubtful look.

"Really?" She asked her sister. "Mark's worried? _Your_ Mark?"

Mia was only referring to the fact that Mark never really liked her that much. Probably because Mark was the most bland and boring person ever and coming from Mia that was saying a lot. He always thought she was crazy for marrying a former junkie and now he just thought she was being overdramatic about Michael's death. Apparently you could be overdramatic about your dead spouse which was something Mia hadn't known.

Fucking Mark.

Mia didn't know why her sister had married him. He was like a modern version of Mike's dad from _Stranger Things_.

"Yes." Holly said pointedly before taking a deep breath and finally saying the thing she had wanted to bring up in conversation since she arrived at Mia's apartment.

"Look, Mark knows this really nice guy from work. His name is Seth and he's a really funny guy."

"Are you seriously trying to set me up?" Mia asked in disbelief. God, this was so embarrassing. Her own sister was trying to set her up with a random guy. Not just any random guy but a random guy who was friends with Mark. Anyone who was friends with Mark officially sucked in her book.

"Seth's amazing. You'll love him." Holly tried to tell her but Mia was already dreading even the prospect of dating this Seth guy. "He works in advertising-"

"I don't want to date Mark's friend. Mark's bad enough on his own. No offense." Mia told her sister.

"Just give him a chance, Mia. Please...for me." Holly pleaded, giving Mia a puppy dog look. The same one that used to get their dad to let them have ice cream before dinner. Mia always wondered how her sister did it. She, herself, was never capable of mastering the puppy dog look. Mia just supposed it was Holly's charm and personality that allowed her to get everything she ever wanted. "We're having a family dinner at our house next weekend and Seth will be there."

"And you want me to come too?" Mia asked her sister knowingly and Holly nodded with a hopeful look on her face.

"Yes." She replied and Mia sighed heavily.

"If you really want, I suppose I can make it to this dinner party thing." Mia said reluctantly and Holly practically squealed in excitement. "But only because I love you. Nothing more."

"Thank you!" Holly exclaimed happily as she reached over and hugged her baby sister. Mia laughed at the force of her sister's hug. Her sister got so excited even about the smallest of things. She supposed that's what happened when you were married to the world's most boring idiot and had two beautiful children. "You won't regret this. I promise you'll like Seth. I can see the two of you getting along so well."

"Okay. I'll give him a chance." Mia promised and Holly just held her there in her arms, reminding Mia of the time when they were much younger and her sister did the same exact thing. It was a comforting gesture that Holly only ever used when their parents would fight. They were so loud that Mia and Holly could hear them from all the way upstairs. Mia would get so upset from all the yelling that she'd bawl her eyes out but Holly always had a way of bringing her comfort.

Holly was always the strong Kazan sister unlike Mia.

"This will be good for you, Mia. You'll see." Holly said reassuringly but Mia wasn't so sure about that. She had a bad track record with guys. There was always either something wrong with them or something wrong with her. That seemed to be a common occurrence in her love life. Mia doubted that this Seth guy, who happened to be friends with Mark, would be the one to change her perspective on dating in her late twenties as a widow.

There was no such thing as that one guy who would turn her world upside down. That only existed in Sandra Bullock rom-coms.

Don't get her wrong.

Mia would very much like to find a Bill Pullman of her own while his brother was in a coma but that wasn't reality. Reality was meeting a guy who was somewhat decent enough to not pressure you into sex on a first date or to not randomly ghost you after said date either. She knew that her expectations didn't sound too high but in this modern world of theirs and as she was nearing her thirties, she was actually setting the bar _very_ high.

Mia wondered why dating had to be this hard.

It was days like these that Mia missed Michael the most.

* * *

"You had a nanny until you were fourteen?" Mia asked in bewilderment as she stared at Tony in surprise. She was back at Avengers tower about a couple days later for her and Tony's next session. They were in the Avengers' Common Area again with Mia sitting on the same couch as before and Tony sitting across from her in the armchair just like before too.

"Mom said I was a lot to handle. She needed help." Tony said defensively before giving Mia a questioning look. "Why? When did you get rid of _your_ nanny?" Mia scoffed.

"My sister and I didn't have a nanny. You know that most normal people don't have nannies, right?" Mia told him but her tone wasn't rude. It was clear to Tony in that moment that she was only teasing him.

"Then what do normal people do then?" Tony inquired with an amused look.

"What do you mean?" She questioned and Tony shrugged nonchalantly.

"If you didn't have a nanny then what did you have? Daycare?" Tony asked her thoughtfully. "I can't imagine spending my days around a bunch of snot nosed little brats. I would've hated it."

"My parents couldn't afford that either." Mia told him truthfully as Tony listened to her curiously. "My grandma used to watch my sister and I while our parents were at work. I guess she was our nanny in a way although she worked for free...just because she loved us."

"I always used to want a grandma when I was younger." Tony admitted without even realizing he was doing so. Mia raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" She asked him and he nodded.

"Yeah. You know...some little old lady who baked cookies and read me bedtime stories. It was just something I noticed the other kids had but not me." Tony told her and Mia found herself even more curious about Tony Stark's childhood. She didn't know much, they were only in the beginning process of the biography, but she got the feeling that his childhood wasn't all sunshine and rainbows like she thought.

Mia was always a bit envious of celebrity kids growing up.

It was somewhat disappointing to hear about all the expensive toys and vacations celebrity kids had compared to Mia's boring childhood where she never went to places like Disneyland or got the sing-along Care Bear she wanted. However, as an adult Mia understood that not everything was about money and toys. There were some things that money and toys couldn't replace. Despite the absence of Mia's father, she still liked to think she and her sister had a happy childhood. Mia had a lot of happy memories and she suddenly wondered if Tony had happy memories too.

"Well, my grandma doesn't really bake cookies but she makes really good apple streusel." Mia retorted, trying to keep the conversation light hearted since she could see a more somber expression cross Tony's face. It seemed to work because the somber expression morphed into a more carefree one as he gave her an amused look.

"A German grandmother, huh?" Tony said curiously.

"Her parents were." Mia informed him and Tony realized that Mia's family was probably more complete than his...more normal. Her parents were divorced, like she previously mentioned, but they were alive. Her grandparents too probably. She had a sister and half-siblings...maybe even distant cousins, aunts, and uncles who all came around for a family reunion every summer.

Tony didn't have that.

He didn't even have half of that. Her casual mention of her family reminded him of his solitary lifestyle. That's what normal people were like, right? They had family reunions, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all the normal family stuff. Tony didn't really know what that was like. Everything he knew about the family sort of thing came from movies he had seen over the years. He had also gotten a glimpse into that lifestyle when Pepper brought him into her life but her whole entire family hated his guts.

They knew of his past a little too well and despite the many attempts of trying to bond with Pepper's father and brothers, as well as trying buy them off with nice cars and tools, it was to no avail. They knew way too much about him. Even Pepper's mother treated him coldly. Although Pepper assured him that it was okay, that her family loved him and considered him one of their own, he knew she was only lying to make him feel better. He was an outsider to them and he was sure they threw a huge party when word spread of his and Pepper's break-up. They probably laughed and remarked about how lucky Pepper was to get away from that narcissistic asshole. There wasn't any doubt in Tony's mind about how happy they were to finally be rid of him.

"Did you know your grandmother?" Mia asked carefully, breaking Tony out of his thoughts. She was almost hesitant to even ask since it seemed like such a personal question but this was Tony's biography, after all. Mia had to ask questions. Even difficult and personal ones like this.

"My grandparents on my dad's side died long before I was born." Tony told her and it wasn't difficult to tell her this information, unbeknownst to her. It was actually quite the opposite. "Mom's parents didn't care for dad too much so I only saw them once every couple Christmases. They passed a couple years after my parents died. Dad didn't do well with parents. Looks like that's another thing we have in common."

"I'm sure that's not true, Mr. Stark." Mia said seriously as she denied what he just said. She couldn't imagine any parents not liking Tony. The eccentric billionaire was very charming and funny. Mia figured that he was even more charming when he was trying to get parents to like him. She knew that her mother would definitely find him charming. That was for certain.

"You obviously don't know me well enough, McCallum." Tony said, an unreadable look on his face before a more teasing one took its place. "I'm not actually boyfriend material despite what my handsome looks would suggest." Mia just smiled as she looked back down at the notebook in her hands.

"So why did you find yourself suddenly rid of your nanny?" Mia inquired, getting the conversation back on task. Tony shrugged.

"I started going to MIT and dad finally felt like I could be left to my own devices. Or maybe he was just sick of having to hire nanny after nanny to find one who could put up with me." Tony explained and Mia nodded.

"You were fourteen when you started going to MIT, right?" Mia asked him and Tony nodded.

"Graduated at seventeen." Tony said as he waved his MIT class ring clad finger at her. Mia couldn't help but feel mesmerized by Tony's past. Sure, she knew his story from doing research on the internet but it was still enthralling to hear. He was an Avenger, after all, and not to mention a genius in his own right. Mia had never really known someone like Tony before. How could she?

"What was it like?" She asked him curiously. Mia told herself she was only asking for the biography but she was lying. She couldn't help her curiosity and the biography wasn't even a part of it. It was even more curious to her since she had never taken interest in Tony Stark's life before. When she was a teenager with nothing better to do, she glanced at all the horrendous gossip magazines exploiting numerous flings but it was all to pass time. Mia was way more taken with Justin Timberlake back then.

But she was still never curious about Tony before.

Not when he made headlines when announcing himself as Iron Man and not even after all his other superhero adventures. However, as she sat there in front of him, she knew that it wasn't Iron Man she felt curious about nor was it the legendary Tony Stark. No...it was just Tony himself she felt curious about. Mia suspected it was because he was so mysterious. She couldn't really figure him out although she thought that maybe she wasn't the only one who couldn't figure him out. Tony Stark was notoriously eccentric for a reason.

"What was what like?" Tony questioned.

"Going to school with people a lot older than you, I mean. It must've been difficult, right?" She said as she elaborated and Tony swallowed hard. He must've lost count of the times he tried to forget that side of his schooling experience. It was obvious, despite Tony's wealth and family, that he wasn't exactly popular in school. Not that he ever admitted that to anyone before. "High school was hard enough with kids my own age. I can't imagine going to school with older kids."

"I may not have been as popular as I made myself seem in the past." Tony reluctantly admitted much to Mia's amusement. "I was this fourteen year old kid amongst twenty year old frat guys. Easy pickins some would call it. Girls didn't tend to have the hots for a kid who was still going through puberty either...no matter what my last name was."

Mia looked at Tony, a thoughtful expression on her face, and she figured that he must've been cute when he was fourteen. A sort of nerdy cute that fourteen year old Mia always crushed on. Mia always had a habit of crushing on the nerdy or artsy types in high school rather than the jocks her sister always went after. She was always rooting for the underdog that way. However, Mia knew this idea was kind of stupid since she hadn't even been born yet when Tony was fourteen.

"I picture you as Anthony Michael Hall in _Sixteen Candles_...or really Anthony Michael Hall in any John Hughes movie." Mia said without much thought and Tony feigned an offended look.

"Not even Jake Ryan?" Tony quipped and Mia was sort of surprised by his Jake Ryan joke. She hadn't actually expected Tony to get her _Sixteen Candles_ reference. Mia didn't know why but she just assumed that Tony hadn't seen it. Maybe it was because she couldn't really picture him sitting there and watching movies. Not because he was famous or anything but because he seemed like the kind of person who couldn't sit still through a whole movie. Michael had been like that which was a contrast to Mia who could sit down all day if she wanted and binge watch all the Netflix shows of her heart's desire.

"Nope." Mia said with a teasing smile and Tony just shook his head in amusement before taking a sip of his scotch. Drinking a glass of scotch for these things seemed to be a common occurrence during his and Mia's interview sessions. It was something to loosen him up and not make him as nervous about spilling stories of his life to an almost stranger.

Not that he considered to Mia to be a stranger.

She was actually more of an acquaintance now or someone he just enjoyed talking with to spare him of the emptiness in the giant building without the others or Pepper. Despite his previous discomfort in sitting down and sharing all this information with Mia for a book, he found himself looking forward to her visits. She was like a breath of fresh air and for the two hours she spent at the tower, he could forget about all the problems he was facing. He could forget about Siberia, he could forget about Pepper, and he could even forget about the falling apart of the Avengers. It was nice to just escape that world for an hour or two. Even though he was still getting to know her, Mia provided that sort of safe harbor from darker thoughts and demons.

Tony was grateful for the brief escape she provided for him.

"So I mainly focused on surpassing everyone in school, challenging the instructors, and making headlines." Tony bragged and Mia just smiled as she wrote down a couple more notes in her notebook. "I saved the partying for after MIT. I really pissed off my old man with the dozens of house parties I threw. Boy, do I miss those days. I partied all night and slept all day. Lots of massive hangovers but I didn't care."

"Did you love parties?" Mia asked him innocently and Tony was taken back by her question. It wasn't the question he expected from her. He expected something more along the lines of "Why did you do all that stupid shit?" or "Why were you such an idiot?" but Mia didn't say anything like that. She just asked him a simple innocent question with no judgement whatsoever.

"Uh...I don't really know." Tony said in confusion after recovering from his brief surprise. Mia decided to elaborate for him.

"Did you throw all the parties because you loved them? I only ask because I remember hearing about all those parties when I was a teenager but I don't recall hearing about them anymore." Mia said before she blushed as she started to consider the fact that she might be pushing him a little too hard. Tony just stared at her for a moment but he surprised Mia when he just shook his head and shrugged, not seeming offended in the least.

"I think I just threw them to piss off my dad." Tony finally admitted. He kind of regretted getting into the stuff about him and his dad with Mia. If it was anyone else then maybe he wouldn't be talking about his dad like this but after that story Mia told about her own father, he felt like she might understand. "I mean, the hangovers and the waking up to strangers in my bed thing was kind of a huge downside to pissing him off but it was worth it to teenage me." Tony only briefly paused before continuing.

"The parties after my parents died was just to forget them. Look, I'm not going to tell you I'm some sort of saint because I made a lot of stupid mistakes in the past. Things I regret but..." Tony told her as honestly as he could before trailing off. Mia could tell there was still a lot of stuff he was leaving out but she understood why he was holding back. He had a complicated relationship with his father and Mia could understand that better than anyone.

"But?" Mia inquired as she helped him out. Tony looked back at her, his brown eyes locking on to her blue ones.

"But I'm trying to make up for it. I still am and I don't think I'll ever stop trying to make up for the past." Tony said as Mia hung onto his every word, unable to look away from him in that moment. "It'll never be good enough but at least I can try. The parties, the booze, and the women were all part of a different version of me. That's not me anymore."

"No?" Mia asked even though she knew the answer already. She was just doing her job. Tony shook his head.

"I mean, I occasionally have a drink to relax me every now and then but I don't drink by the bottle anymore and I used to have a healthy relationship although right now I'm on the single boat...whatever the hell that means." Tony's eyes then widened when he realized what he just said. "Could you actually not write that part about the single boat down. What's that thing called again? Off the record, right?" Mia stifled a giggle.

"Yes, it's called off the record but you don't have to worry about that, Mr. Stark." Mia told him, amusement glinting in her eyes. "I'm not an actual journalist so if there's something you don't want me to write then just tell me."

"Thanks." Tony said in relief before giving Mia a curious look. "For not being a journalist, you're pretty good at this journalist thing."

"I did take a class on journalism in college. I know the etiquette." Mia informed him and Tony just nodded but he still found himself very much curious about the brunette. There was actually a lot of things that made him curious about her.

"So what's the new and improved version of Tony Stark like?" Mia asked as she brought the conversation back to him. It seemed like she was always having to do that. He always tried to bring the conversation to her for some reason which made her have to get them back on task. She wondered why that was.

Tony blinked, her question breaking him out of his thoughts.

"What?" He asked in confusion.

"You said the partying and drinking version of yourself was the old you." Mia elaborated as Tony looked back at her. "What's the new you?" Memories of Tony's time in Afghanistan flashed through his mind as well as the incident with Obadiah. Those series of events had created a great amount of change in his life but Tony didn't really think he was ready to talk about that today. Maybe at their next session but not today.

"It's a really long story. Probably best saved for a longer and different session." Tony explained to her and Mia was a bit disappointed but she acknowledged the fact that Tony was still growing comfortable with this sort of thing so he had to take a bit more time to approach certain subjects in his life. Mia understood that.

"Okay...so do you want to end this session then?" Mia inquired, assuming that this would be it for today. She had already acquired a decent amount of information about Tony's childhood from him. The next step was gathering information about the time his parents passed away and left him the company.

"I mean, we can end it officially but you're welcomed to stay." Tony told her as she stopped recording the conversation on her phone and shut her notebook. Mia looked back at him abruptly when he said that.

"Stay?" She questioned and Tony shrugged before a very faint and rare blush spread across his cheeks as the brunette stared back at him in confusion. He suddenly felt like the nerd asking out the cheerleader on a date. Why would a pretty young woman like herself even want to stick around and talk to an old man like him? Mia probably had much better things to do like shopping at a farmer's market or hanging out with her friends at one of those hipster bars in Brooklyn.

Those were the sort of things that young people did, right?

Maybe Tony would ask Peter about that kind of thing. He was only fifteen but he probably knew more about the habits of twenty something year olds than Tony did. The only twenty something year old Tony had ever spent time around was Wanda and even that was minimal since the witch never really liked him. Not that he blamed her for that or anything. He knew the pain he caused her.

"Yeah, we could have a drink." Tony suggested and Mia raised an eyebrow as she looked at the glass of scotch in his hand.

"But you already have a drink." Mia pointed out and Tony looked down at the glass in his hand as if he had forgotten about it.

"Right...well, you could join me with a drink of your own." Tony said as he tried to get her to stay. Anything that would prevent him from being alone with his own thoughts again. As pathetic as it sounded, Tony didn't want to be left alone in the tower yet he didn't want to go back to the compound with Vision or Rhodey either. Both places served as painful reminders of everything that had transpired in the past few months so sue Tony if he prefered to be in the company of the pretty young brunette.

"I don't know, Mr. Stark. I really don't want to bother you if you have other things to do." Mia replied cordially, making him feel a lot older than he wanted to feel. Tony thought he really must've lost his touch if she kept treating him like some kind of old, lonely billionaire she felt sorry for. Somehow that was worse than her just outrightly rejecting him and accusing him of being lecherous.

"You're not bothering me. Come on, McCallum, we can talk about anything you want." Tony said as he continued to convince her to stay. "We can have an existential conversation or you can even tell me more about that German grandmother of yours. She sounds nice."

Mia swallowed hard as she considered Tony's offer. It's not like she had anywhere to go. If Mia was being honest with herself, she was just going to go home and watch _House Hunters_ all night as she stuffed her face with leftover pizza she'd have to burn off in her morning jog tomorrow. She really didn't have any plans and she actually liked talking to Tony. Like she said before, he was surprisingly easy to talk to and she also liked that he was a separate part of her usual life. He was separate from Michael and it was refreshing to Mia.

"Okay." She said quietly and Tony grinned at her in satisfaction. _Maybe he hadn't lost his touch after all_ , Tony smugly thought to himself.

"Great. I'll go get you a drink." Tony told her as he immediately got up from the armchair and headed over to the bar in the common area. "What's your poison, Snow White?"

"Just a glass of wine would be fine, Mr. Stark." Mia told Tony, feeling a bit nervous to be in a less formal setting with the billionaire. The interviews were more professional and Mia felt comfortable with that but not so much now. She felt nervous and this...well, _t_ _his_ was different.

"Wine?" Tony questioned as he raised an eyebrow at her from behind the bar. "You can do better than that. I'm not one to judge."

"I don't have a very high alcohol tolerance. I'd rather not get drunk and do something embarrassing." Mia said nervously which was true. She really didn't have a high alcohol tolerance. Emily even teased her about her getting drunk just by sniffing the cork of the wine bottle. Tony smirked at her in amusement.

"I'm sure a drunk Amelia McCallum is a very interesting sight to behold but wine it is." Tony said as he did as she requested and looked on the wall behind the bar for a bottle of wine. He scoured the wall but he mostly just spotted bottles of liquor. Tony normally didn't keep much wine behind the bar since it wasn't really his preference. It actually wasn't until he spotted a bottle of red wine sitting on the bottom of one of the shelves by itself that he stopped his search. However, Tony knew that it wasn't just any bottle of wine.

It was Pepper's wine.

Well, it wasn't exclusively Pepper's wine. It was a very expensive bottle of wine, aged to perfection, that he had gotten for Pepper and himself to celebrate the fact that a very successful deal had gone through for Stark Industries. Of course, this wine was bought before they had broken up and he was actually about to pop it open the night Pepper broke things off.

Obviously he never got the chance.

"If you don't have any wine then that's fine, Mr. Stark." Mia told him and Tony realized that he had become lost in his thoughts again. He cleared his throat awkwardly before shaking his head and grabbing the wine bottle without any further thought. Tony wasn't the sentimental type. He wasn't one to keep things that served as constant reminders of different points in his life. Pepper was the one who kept the sentimental things for him but she wasn't with him anymore. They were over so Tony saw no need in holding onto things of the past. Especially perfectly good wine.

"I found some. Don't worry about it." Tony said as he looked for a corkscrew and a glass. "You're okay with red wine, right?"

"Yes." Mia said simply as she nodded, walking over to the bar where Tony was currently pouring the wine into a glass after popping it open. A strange feeling of relief washed over Tony as he poured the wine. It was like an unspoken step of him moving on from his and Pepper's failed relationship. He was finally leaving it in the past and letting her go in a way. Tony knew he would always love her but he also knew he had to let her go at some point. Why not now?

"Red wine as requested, Snow White." Tony told her, his voice teasing but there was an unreadable emotion in his eyes that Mia couldn't quite read. She hesitantly took the glass of wine from him.

"Thank you, Mr. Stark." Mia told him and Tony rolled his eyes at her.

"Please stop calling me Mr. Stark. You have this weird way of making me feel like I'm turning into my father whenever you do that." Tony insisted much to Mia's bashfulness. "I really don't want to feel like my father at this point."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark-I mean, Tony." Mia said as she quickly corrected herself. He just looked at her in amusement as she took a sip of wine to stop her from embarrassing herself any further. Although, seeing as she was now drinking alcohol, Mia was sure more word vomit was yet to come.

"This is really good wine." Mia remarked as she set the glass back down and marveled at the sweet taste of the wine. She was actually just changing the subject because she didn't want to say or do anything else to embarrass herself in front of the famous billionaire.

"It should be. I paid ten thousand dollars for it." Tony said nonchalantly. Mia's eyes widened in shock before she looked from the bottle of wine and then back to Tony before looking at the wine once more.

"Ten thousand dollars?!" Mia exclaimed, not believing the fact that she had just taken a surprisingly long sip of ten thousand dollar wine. Ten thousand dollar wine...seriously? Mia still remembered high school parties with boxed wine. However, she never quite imagined ten thousand dollar wine. Mia even thought hundred dollar wine was ridiculously expensive. "Oh my god. I swallowed it." Tony smirked.

"So you're a swallower, not a spitter. Good to know." Tony teased, unable to help himself. Mia flushed red at his suggestive comment before she glared at him.

"You're disgusting. I hope you know that." Mia retorted and Tony just shrugged.

"You kind of walked into that one." He informed her and Mia just shook her head, trying to ignore his disgusting remark. _Tony Stark was a terrible flirt_ , Mia determined as she looked back at him.

A disgusting flirt, really.

"I can't believe you would actually spend ten thousand dollars on wine. That's insane." Mia told him and Tony gave her an amused look.

"I've actually spent three _hundred_ thousand dollars on wine before so…" Tony trailed off, excited to see what kind of reaction the short brunette would have to that. He was even more amused as she looked more surprised than before by this information.

"Are you Johnny Depp or something? Why would you spend three hundred thousand dollars on wine?" Mia questioned. Although, this was the same guy who sent her a two hundred and fifty thousand dollar book, after all. Tony shrugged.

"There was a wine auction. Justin Hammer wanted the bottle of aged wine from 1892 so I, of course, just had to outbid him." Tony said as he remembered the wine auction from many years ago. "I loved seeing the disappointed look on that ugly mug of his. It was worth the price. Trust me." Mia just shook her head in disbelief.

"So do you just keep the wine locked up in a glass case or...?" Mia trailed off, looking quite curious about what someone would do with expensive wine like that and Tony looked back at her, seeming almost casual as he discussed three hundred thousand dollar wine.

"No. I popped it open that night. It actually tasted terrible so I just gave it to these high school kids who were trying to buy alcohol. They seemed to enjoy so that was good." Tony told her uncaringly and Mia stared at him in shock. Yeah...she was definitely no closer in figuring out Tony Stark.

"Supplying alcohol to minors. Really nice." Mia murmured and Tony shrugged once more.

"That was old me. I'm a lot more responsible now." Tony said as if he were reassuring her of that for some reason. He knew it wasn't because of the biography but Tony still didn't really know why he felt the sudden urge to convince her that he was good person. He just did.

"So you don't spend three hundred thousand dollars on wine for a pissing match anymore. Ten thousand is your limit?" Mia inquired and it was clear that she was just teasing him. Tony smiled at her, a smile that made him appear much more youthful and a smile that made Mia feel a little warm around the face. It seemed Mia was making a habit of becoming charmed from the billionaire's attention. She was sure she wasn't the only one. Charming women had to be one of Tony Stark's many talents.

"Exactly." Tony quipped before giving the brunette a curious look. "Why are you judgey about expensive wine anyways? You're a very successful author. You could probably afford three hundred thousand dollar wine."

"I think you're the first person to ever overestimate my net worth." Mia retorted.

"Okay, fine. Ten thousand dollar wine then." Tony said as he looked back at her and Mia shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe it's because I didn't grow up with that kind of money." Mia admitted reluctantly. "I guess I'm more careful."

"So you're a cheapskate." Tony teasingly remarked and Mia gave him an unimpressed look.

"I am not a cheapskate. I'm practical." Mia told him but Tony didn't look like he believed her. In all honesty, Mia didn't consider herself to be a cheapskate because then that would be admitting that she was more like her father than she ever wanted to be.

"If you're not a cheapskate then what's the most expensive thing you've ever bought?" Tony asked her and it was clear that he was continuing to tease her at this point. Nevertheless, she decided to play along.

"Probably clothes." Mia said thoughtfully as she thought about all the purchases she had made in the past. Her and Emily's annual "Treat Yourself" day stuck out in particular as she remembered the Parks and Rec inspired holiday Emily created. It was kind of their version of a girls day out.

"Clothes?" Tony questioned and Mia nodded.

"I bought a really nice Stella McCartney dress a few months ago. Five thousand dollars. There. That's a ridiculously expensive thing." Mia said as if she were saying it just to please him. Tony wondered if it was the same dress he had seen her wear back at the charity auction. A dress that Tony hadn't really been able to get out of his mind since that night.

"Was that the dress at the auction?" Tony asked innocently. Mia shook her head.

"No. That was a dress that a designer friend of Carter loaned to me." Mia informed him and Tony just stared at her, his eyes twinkling with both mischief and a sort of confidence that Mia didn't think she would ever reach.

"Well, that's a shame. It was a really nice dress." Tony told her and Mia blushed once more because she was fairly sure that he was flirting with her. Not to mention she wasn't used to being flirted with and especially by handsome billionaires. She knew Tony Stark was probably the kind of guy who flirted with anything in a skirt but she was still flattered.

"Thank you, Mr. Stark." Mia said shyly. Tony just shook his head.

"Are we back to Mr. Stark again?" Tony questioned. "I thought we already went over this."

"Right. Sorry." Mia apologized as she remembered that she wasn't supposed to call him Mr. Stark anymore. The amused look then fell off Tony's face as he then remembered something else that had been bugging him for the past couple days as he researched more about Mia's background...which just so happened to include her deceased husband.

"I thought you'd be more used to this kind of lifestyle." Tony stated with a curious expression on his face. Mia gave him a confused look.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Your husband." Tony elaborated and Mia stiffened, her heart beating rapidly in her chest as she was reminded of Michael. Not because she freaked out every time she was reminded of him but because she was reminded of him in this room with Tony. A room where she thought she could escape all things Michael for a couple hours. Maybe she was naïve in thinking she could escape to a place where Michael didn't exist. Maybe there was no such place. "Wasn't he the son of some lord or something? Or was it a duke? I don't really know that much about British Aristocracy."

Mia's throat suddenly felt very dry as she tried to find the right answer to say but she was a bit taken back in surprise by Tony's inquiry. She certainly hadn't expected any questions about her husband although she shouldn't have been surprised. Tony probably researched her quite a bit before asking her to write his biography.

"It wasn't like that." She finally said but Tony couldn't help but notice how much quieter her voice sounded this time around. Not to mention the fact that she averted her gaze from him, resting her eyes on the surface of the bar. "His parents were wealthy. Not him."

"So he was cut off?" Tony asked and Mia was only growing more uncomfortable with the more questions he asked. She realized that was kind of unfair since she had been asking him questions all day about his past but that was her job. Mia was supposed to ask questions. However, Mia didn't see anything in the contract about Tony asking _her_ questions. Especially questions about Michael. He could ask her any questions about her life if he wanted but Michael was off limits. She didn't even talk about Michael with her sister, always avoiding the subject when he was brought up.

It was _that_ hard for her to discuss.

"Something like that." Mia muttered before she looked back up at him, speaking before Tony had the chance to say anything else. "I think I should probably go, actually. It's getting late and I have to feed my dog."

The dog excuse seemed to be her route of escape these days.

Tony looked down at her in surprise, not expecting for her to suddenly take her leave.

"Oh, I didn't know you had a dog." Tony said before mentally wincing at himself. Why did he say that? It's not like he would know whether or not she had a dog. Mia and him weren't that familiar with each other yet for it to be weird that he didn't know she had a dog.

"Well, I do and I need to feed him before he gets cranky." Mia said quickly and she immediately felt bad for using the dog excuse on Tony. She didn't feel bad for using it on Channing Tatum look alike but Tony was different. Mia thought Tony was too good for the dog excuse but she couldn't help herself. She was a terrible liar and her excuses were like word vomit. Mia just said the first thing that came to mind.

"It's not what I said, right?" Tony asked her, honestly feeling a little concerned that he might've pushed too far with the questions about her husband. He was really terrible at reading the room when it came to matters of the heart...or so Pepper used to tell him. "I didn't make you uncomfortable with the questions about your husband?" Mia furiously shook her head although that was exactly what happened.

"Of course not." She said but Tony could tell she was lying. He could tell by the way she refused to look him in the eyes but he played along nevertheless.

"I guess I'll just see you on Monday then." Tony told her despite all the questions on his mind and Mia nodded. "Do you need a ride home? I can get someone to take you home."

"That's not necessary." Mia told him, assuring him that she was perfectly capable of making her own way home. "I'll get an Uber. He'll be here by the time I get to the lobby."

"Good, good...that's good." Tony said awkwardly, knowing that he had somehow screwed up the conversation by bringing up her husband. He didn't want her to leave but he understood that he had probably made her very uncomfortable.

Tony didn't blame her for leaving.

"I'll just get going. Thanks for the wine. It was really good." She said quietly as she picked up her things and started to leave. Mia seemed to be in a rush that made Tony feel even worse...like she couldn't wait to get away from him. It was just like him to push people away like that. Another habit he couldn't get rid of.

"Have a nice weekend, Mr. Stark." Mia said as she passed him, a small but polite smile on her face as she clutched her notebook to her chest and headed for the elevator. Tony didn't say anything as she left. He simply soaked in the fact that he was back to being Mr. Stark again.

Something Tony didn't want to be.

 _Damn it_ , he thought to himself as he stared at the empty wine glass on the bar. He was always fucking things up, wasn't he? Tony couldn't even hold a simple conversation with a pretty young woman for more than fifteen minutes before scaring her away. It was going so well before he had to mention her husband which probably wasn't the best thing to bring up. He should've known, Tony knew that, but sometimes he could be tactless.

It wasn't as if he were trying to seduce her or anything. He just liked her company because it prevented him from having to go back down to his lab and being left alone with his thoughts. Tony acknowledged that Mia was a very beautiful young woman so of course he flirted with her but he wasn't interested in pursuing anything with her. She was much too young for his liking and not to mention the fact that she had been through a lot in her lifetime. The last thing Mia needed was for Tony to make a pass at her or even involve her in this messed up world of his. Pepper was a perfect example of why he shouldn't involve people in his mess. No, he didn't want Mia around for that reason at all.

Tony just simply craved her company.

He hadn't spent a lot of time with her since the time they had first met but Tony already knew that he liked the tower a lot more when she was there. Tony had a lot on his mind these days so it was nice just speaking to someone...normal. Someone who was separate from his world of Avengers, wormholes, and evil robots of his own creation. Mia didn't have any part of that world and Tony liked her for that. She was a breath of fresh air and Tony even thought of her sometimes when she wasn't there too. Mia was a welcomed distraction but Tony was just scared that he might've screwed that up.

He really hoped not.


	12. Chapter Eleven

"Amelia, sweetie, I emailed you that Pioneer Woman recipe I found. Did you get it?" Elizabeth Schafer, Mia's mother, said from over over the phone. Mia had her mom on speakerphone as she cleaned out her bedroom. She knew this was a pretty lame way to spend her Friday night but this was much needed. It was also much more than simply cleaning out her bedroom. At least to her anyways.

"Yeah, I did. The Barley and Chickpea Risotto looks really good, Mom. I'll be sure to give it a try this week." Mia told her mother as she put a couple of cardboard boxes on her bed.

"Well, I know you're a vegetarian and everything so it can be difficult finding things to eat. You need to get your protein too, Amelia." Her mom continued to tell her and Mia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Dr. Miller said that a lot of vegetarians become anemic because they don't get enough protein. You need to make sure you're eating enough." Mia sighed heavily because her mother had this astonishing ability to worry about everything.

"I promise I'm getting enough protein, Mom. Really, I'm fine." Mia said, deciding to humor her mother's craziness. "Dr. Miller's full of shit. You know, they recently did a study that said vegetarians live longer so maybe you should inform Dr. Miller of that."

"Amelia, don't talk about Dr. Miller that way. Dr. Miller went to the University of Maine." Mia's mother argued.

"Oh, so an in-state college." Mia retorted and she could hear her mother sighing heavily.

"There's no need to be snobbish about colleges, Miss University of Edinburgh." Her mother scolded. "There's absolutely nothing wrong about in-state colleges. I always thought you would be perfectly fine at an in-state college but, of course, you just had to go to Scotland to get away from us."

"I wasn't getting away from you, Mom." Mia told her mother even though that was kind of a lie. Mia's parents had a messy divorce and an even messier custody battle. Her parents couldn't even sit together at her graduation ceremony. Mia had to have two separate dinners that night. One with her father, Valerie, and their kids and then one with her mother, grandparents, and sister. It had been a fucking nightmare. Her father didn't even go to her wedding because her mother was there. So yes...she went to school in Scotland to get away from all the drama.

"Well, I just worry about your health, Amelia. You live alone in that apartment and you don't have any friends-" Her mother said but Mia interrupted her.

"I have friends." Mia said defensively. "Emily's my friend."

"Emily's not exactly a good influence. I've never liked that girl." Mia just rolled her eyes because it's not like that was news. Her mother had never approved of Emily which was fine because Mia didn't really approve of her either. She actually didn't know why she was friends with the crazy English girl.

"Don't worry about Emily, Mom. She's not even here. She's somewhere exotic like Brazil or Fiji." Mia informed her mother, trying to get away from the subject of her flighty best friend.

"I'm still worried about you, Amelia. Especially with that new job of yours." Her mom said, sounding even more worried than before. Even though her mother was back home in Maine, Mia could still picture the frown on her face as well as the worried crease in between her eyebrows. It was the same look Holly got on her face whenever she was worried too. "Holly told me that you're writing Tony Stark's biography. I wasn't under the impression that you were Tony Stark's number one fan."

Mia sighed as she mentally cursed her sister for talking to her mom about her. She knew that was a constant bad habit that her mom and sister seemed to share. They'd slowly fret over her and all her problem, worrying themselves closer and closer to a sudden grave, while Mia was blissfully unaware of it all. Mia was more than aware that her mom and sister talked about her behind her back. Not in a mean way or anything but just in a worried way. Mia didn't mean to cause such worry and stress in their lives but it was inevitable.

It was three years after her husband's death and she still clearly wasn't quite over it. Although, Mia thought she was making significant progress lately. She was working, even if it wasn't on her novel, and she was talking to someone out of her small group of friends. Mia knew that didn't really count since Tony was part of her work but it was just nice talking to someone who didn't worry over her or tiptoe around her. They had hit a bit of an awkward spot with him mentioning her husband and Mia hurrying out of the tower but everything seemed to be forgotten when Mia returned for another interview the following Monday. He didn't make any mention of her husband again which Mis was thankful for.

There was also the fact that she had gone out on a couple dates with Seth, Mark's work friend, and Mia even kind of liked him. He was nice, of course, but more importantly he was an adult unlike those men she went on dates with from Tinder. Seth had a very stable career, he was respectful, good looking, cracked a couple of dorky jokes every now and then, and he also didn't seem to pressure her into sex which Mia appreciated. She knew those things didn't seem to be significant but to Mia they were because she hadn't had much good experience in the dating world.

"I'm not his number one fan." Mia mumbled which was true. Although, she had never disliked Tony in the past, she also had never paid much attention to him either. There was the time he and the rest of the Avengers saved New York from Loki's invasion so she, Michael, and rest of the city showed their appreciation by laying down flowers over one of the many fan made shrines. Mia remembered her and Michael choosing Iron Man's shrine in particular because he was the only Avenger they had actually seen that day. Never in a million years had she ever thought she'd be meeting the guy in real life.

"I've read stories about that man, Mia. You should be careful." Her mother warned her and Mia, for some reason, became very annoyed at her mother's words.

"Why, Mom?" She said challengingly. "Because of the Ultron thing? The Sokovia Accords? I know that he's the center of a lot of controversy right now but he's not a bad person. I know it's a lot to process but-" Mia was beginning to ramble so her mother cut her off before she could say anymore.

"I was talking about his past with women, Amelia." Her mother deadpanned and Mia just stood there with a what she was sure was a dumb look on her face.

"Oh…" She trailed off, a blush spreading across her pale skin.

"I just meant that everyone knows that man has a thing for pretty young women. I don't want him taking advantage of you." Her mom said, being her usual worried self. Mia blushed an even more vibrant shade of red if that was even possible.

"Mom, I'm not some teenage girl who's incapable of taking care of herself." Mia tried to tell her mom despite her embarrassment because it was entirely embarrassing when your mom worried over whether or not Tony Stark was taking advantage of you. She guessed since she was the baby in the family it was always going to be like that. Her mom and Holly were always going to constantly worry about her.

"I just want you to be cautious." Her mom tried to tell her. "I know how nice you are and how you always try to see the best in people so I don't want anyone taking advantage of that." Mia sighed because she knew her mother was never going to let up in worrying about her.

"You don't even need to worry. He's not like that. Mr. Stark's actually nice." Mia said as she tried to ease her mom's worry. "I mean, he's really weird and all but not in a creepy perverted way. He's mostly weird in an eccentric, mad scientist kind of way."

"Still...just be careful." Mia's mother told her, starting to drop the subject. "So what are you doing? Hopefully not staying holed up in that apartment of yours."

"Well, later on Seth, this guy Holly and Mark introduced me to, is taking me to this really nice sushi place near Park Slope." Mia informed her mother with a small smile on her face. She had to admit that she was the tiniest bit excited for the date. Not because she was super into Seth or anything, she didn't think they were there yet, but because she was just going out and having fun like a normal person. She was a semi-normal person now.

"That sounds fun, sweetie." Her mother told her, sounding happy for her. Mia hoped that this dating thing would at least give her mother some relief about her sanity. The small brunette then nervously bit her lip as she contemplated telling her mother what she was currently doing. She didn't know if it was a good idea or not. Especially since Mia wasn't totally sure about what she was doing either.

"So I'm making a trip to Salvation Army later on in the week and I'm just gathering everything I want to donate. That's what I'm doing right now in case you were wondering." Mia hesitantly told her mother.

"Oh so you're organizing everything? Late spring cleaning?" Her mom questioned and Mia swallowed hard before answering.

"I'm actually donating some of Michael's things." Mia mentioned nonchalantly even though she felt anything but nonchalant over the ordeal. There was a moment of silence and Mia knew her mother must be processing this information with a surprised look on her face. Mia was the same person who freaked out on her last Christmas when her mother made the suggestion to start cleaning out the apartment of Michael's thing. Her mom kind of had a right to be surprised.

"Oh…" Her mother trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

"Yeah. I mean, not everything but just his clothing." Mia said softly. "It's been a long time and I think Holly's right. It's not really right for me to keep all his things here."

"That's good, Mia." Her mother said carefully, obviously not wanting to question her too much in case she scared Mia back into keeping the clothes but Mia already had her mind set on this.

As bad as the Tinder dates were, those were kind of her first baby steps in moving on from Michael. Taking the job of writing Tony Stark's biography was another step as well and even going out with Seth was a pretty big step for her. She was going out on dates, working on a book where she didn't have to stare at a cursor on a blank page all day, and she didn't think of Michael as much anymore. She still thought of him every single day but she found that she could sometimes go a few hours without being reminded of him in some small way. A part of her was terrified that this meant that she was forgetting him but another part thought that maybe there hope. Maybe she could actually move on from his death.

However, she couldn't try to do the healthy thing by attempting to move on if she had to stare at his array of shirts and jackets everytime she opened her closet to pick out an outfit. Mia realized the next step she had to take was the very slow and emotional process of getting rid of his things. She was quite ready to get rid of everything but she could start with the clothes. Clothes were the easy part. Mia didn't know how she was going to feel about finally cleaning out his art studio in the apartment. She barely went in there but she definitely wasn't ready for that yet. Maybe someday but not today.

"I'm just donating his clothes and I haven't gone through all his things but I know that I can't just keep everything here forever. I mean, it is kind of crazy now that I think about it." Mia said as she explained her actions to her mother who she hoped would feel less worried now that she was given this news.

"Only if you're sure, Amelia." Her mom said, sounding a bit more optimistic but also nervous given Mia's previous protest against ridding the apartment of anything Michael related.

"I'm sure, Mom. I'm going out more and I have the biography to write too. My life is moving forward and even though I'm not ready to completely move on, I want to start." Mia explained to her mother. "Not to mention seeing his clothes in the closet everyday doesn't bring me comfort like it used to. It just makes me miss him more."

"Alright. I'm just happy that you're deciding to move on even if you're taking small steps. Maybe it's good that you're taking small steps." Mia's mother said in relief. "Moving on doesn't mean erasing him from your life, you know. It just means that this is a new chapter."

"I know, Mom." Mia said quietly, knowing that her mother kind of knew what having a new beginning felt like. While her mother had only been through a divorce, much different than losing a spouse, she still knew what it was like having to start over. Mia was just glad her and her mother had some kind of understanding when it came to life and all it's obstacles.

"I'm glad you're doing good, Mia." Her mom told her and Mia allowed herself to smile faintly. "It's getting late. Is it okay with you if I go to bed and I call you next week?"

"That's fine, Mom." Mia said sincerely. "I still have a couple of things to pack."

"Okay then. Stay safe and be nice to your sister and Mark." Mia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She wondered if her sister had been complaining to her mother about the fact that she still couldn't stand Mark. It's not Mia's fault. Mark was just the worst kind of guy there was. She didn't know how he roped her sister into marrying him.

"I will. Don't worry." Mia assured her mom.

"Good. I love you. Bye"

"I love you too. Bye." Mia said before she hung up. She only stared down at the phone for a minute before promptly tossing her phone on to the bed. It was getting late like her mother said and she still had quite a bit of packing to do.

Mia picked up one of Michael's sweatshirts, the one with the insignia of his favorite football team back in Scotland, and she smiled softly at it. He used to wear the sweatshirt every time his team played. Mia would roll her eyes from the kitchen as he yelled excited every time his team scored a goal.

"We're winning, love! You should've seen McAdams' left foot! It was amazing!" Michael would call out to her even though he knew she wasn't a person interested in any kind of sport. He would just get so excited that he couldn't help but tell her because she was his best friend too.

Not just his wife.

Mia actually felt the same way about him and now that she stood there staring at his old sweatshirt, she realized that she missed that kind of companionship. It wasn't just marriage that she missed or having someone to share an apartment with. She actually missed being in love with your best friend. It was best thing in the world and Mia wondered if she would ever be able to have that with someone else. The idea seemed impossible and out of reach because she couldn't imagine feeling the same thing she felt with Michael with someone else. It just didn't seem likely for her to be able to have something like that twice.

The brunette then pressed the soft sweatshirt and held it close to her face, her eyes closing in content as the lingering scent of Michael reached her nose. She must've seemed sad or pathetic in doing so because she fully knew she was saying goodbye to a pile of clothing but it still felt needed for her. Mia needed to part from the clothing or she was going to be some sad mess of a woman for the rest of her life. If Michael was here, he would've asked her why she hadn't gotten rid of the clothing ages ago.

"You'd kill me for getting rid of your prized football sweatshirt, wouldn't you?" Mia murmured softly to herself. "I would've loved to see the look on your face." Mia imagined Michael standing there with his arms crossed, pouting in that cute way he did whenever he didn't get his way, as she finally did what she set out to do by tossing the sweatshirt in the box with the rest of his clothing. She swallowed hard before letting out a breath she hadn't realized that she had been holding until now. This was more difficult than she thought but it was still manageable. Mia might need a glass of wine after this but she was still set on this moving on thing. In a way, she even knew Michael would be proud of her for doing this.

Mia just wondered what the next step in moving on would be. She wasn't completely sure but she was kind of looking forward to starting this new life.

Better late than never.

* * *

 **The Avengers' Facility**

"So have you located the area of the alleged bombers?" Thaddeus Ross asked the last three remaining Avengers as they sat around the table in the conference room. Ross wasn't present himself and neither were other various members of the UN. They appeared in hologram form since apparently they were too busy to get off their fat asses to actually come down to the compound.

Or so Tony thought, at least.

"They're a domestic terrorist group located in Virginia. Just outside the capitol," Rhodey explained to everyone else as they discussed one of their Sokovia Accords approved missions.

There was very few missions they were allowed to participate these days which was driving Tony a bit crazy. He was spending more and more time in the lab while also not being the most pleasant person to be around. The only other thing that occupied his time was his visits from Mia but those were only twice a week. Sometimes Tony wished she came to the tower more often. Her presence was a welcomed distraction from everything else that was going on.

"You've been monitoring their activity this past week?" Ross further inquired.

"They've made no signs of movement. We believe they're building up their explosives supply before heading out again," Rhodey answered once more. "Tony's been keeping close surveillance over their base in the meantime. We'll notify you if there's any movement."

"Good. That's very good," Ross said as he nodded once. "You have permission to make an attack the second you get sight of any movement or plan of attack."

"Yes, sir," Rhodey said once more and Ross just gave all three Avengers one last nod before ending the transmission. All the holograms within the conference room disappeared in that very instant.

"So that was eventful," Tony said sarcastically, causing both Rhodey and Vision to look at him. The billionaire was glaring at the very spot the holograms were positioned just a few seconds ago. "We just have to sit around and wait for these morons to attacks even though we all know they're guilty as hell."

"Tony, you know that this is part of the Accords," Rhodey informed him tiredly. "We can't move in for an attack until the UN approves. You already knew this when you signed the accords."

Tony sighed tiredly, knowing his friend was right.

"I know but Ross still pisses me off. I think he's still upset about that time I put him on hold while Cap broke into Raft," Tony told them and both Rhodey and Vision gave him a similar look as though they were saying 'You think?'.

"Secretary Ross is only following what the accords permit us to do. This is a part of the accords," Vision said, being his usual calm and logical self. "This is perhaps why Captain Rogers and the others disagreed."

"Are you trying to tell me to shut the hell up, Vision? I didn't think you knew how to do that," Tony quipped as he looked at the purple android. Vision only looked back at him, obviously taken back by what Tony just said.

"Of course not. I wasn't-" Vision started to say but Rhodey just shook his head and stopped him before he could go on.

"Relax, Vision. Tony's just being a dick because he hasn't slept in the past two days," Rhodey said as he gave his friend a pointed look. Vision just looked between the two friends with an odd look on his face.

"I think I should return to the library. There's some reading I would like to catch up on," Vision said quietly as he got up from his seat before quickly taking his leave as he hovered through the wall, disappearing from sight.

Rhodey looked back at Tony with a pissed off look on his face.

"Are you happy now? You scared off Vision," Rhodey said, sounding like he was doing an awful amount of scolding. Tony just sighed before rubbing his eyes tiredly. He shook his head.

"No, I just haven't gotten any sleep in the past couple days. Just like you said," Tony told him reluctantly and a concerned look came over Rhodey's face.

Rhodey frowned.

"How come?" Rhodey questioned before guessing what might've been troubling Tony. "Is this because of Pepper, Tony?"

"Pepper?" Tony asked, looking very surprised that Rhodey thought that might've been what was bothering him. Truth be told, Tony had been a bit off ever since the breakup with Pepper but it was mostly because he no longer had that kind of stability in his life. It was no fault of Pepper's though. There was a lot Tony had on his shoulders and Pepper deserved better than to wait for him to clear his head which was something that was unlikely to ever happen.

Pepper and Tony were different in so many ways but there was one similarity they both shared. A similarity that had subsequently put an end to their long and promising relationship.

They both looked to the future…but the problem was that they both looked to the future in a much different way.

Pepper looked to the future and she saw marriage, children, and blissful happiness. Tony wanted all that too but after the events of Ultron, he couldn't clear his head of the vision Wanda showed him. The vision of all the other Avengers dead and all because Tony hadn't done enough. That vision haunted Tony's mind like no other. He couldn't get the image of the world ending out of his head long enough to imagine marrying Pepper and them having children. He wished he could but he just couldn't stop being himself long enough to give Pepper all those things.

She understood why but she didn't want to wait for him anymore. Tony understood that it wasn't fair to do that to her so he let her go even though it killed him inside.

Maybe part of the reason that he felt so down lately was because of Pepper not providing that stability in his life anymore. There was no companionship in that sense and there wasn't anyone to seek comfort from in the midst of all his Avengers related issues. As pathetic as it sounded for a man his age to say, he hated sleeping alone too. Sure, he could go back to his playboy ways(and he during the aftermath of the breakup) but it wasn't the same. Tony didn't get anything from emotionless sex like he used to in his younger days. There was a moment of release but then just numbness.

Life felt pretty empty lately because if he didn't have Pepper then at least he had…his family.

The Avengers.

But they were gone too. Tony had driven a wedge in between them all with the accords which he was now starting to regret bit by bit. He was still furious at Rogers and Tony wasn't sure if things could ever be mended between them but he missed the compound being loud and bustling like it used to be. Tony missed the days of not walking through empty halls on his way to the lab.

He knew he only had himself to blame.

It was ironic, wasn't it?

All he had been trying to do all along was to keep the Avengers together but in his actions he had only driven them apart to the point of nothing likely ever being fixed. Tony was good at that though.

Driving people away.

He always had been.

"You've been different since the breakup," Rhodey told him, trying to find out what the problem was with his friend these days. It was a difficult thing to figure out. Tony wasn't himself much lately. Sometimes Rhodey used to think that he could figure out Tony but recently Rhodey wouldn't say the same thing. "Maybe you should try calling her or something."

"Pepper and I are finished, Rhodey," Tony told his friend in a final tone much to Rhodey's disappointment. "We're not getting back together. We decided to just stay friends."

Rhodey always thought that Pepper had been the best thing that ever happened to Tony. Now that it was officially over, he was worried about what this would mean for Tony. The billionaire might've been a grown man but he also needed someone to take care of him. Rhodey didn't think he could function by himself. If Tony was left alone then he would forget to eat, sleep, and shower. Pepper had always been the one to take care of him but if she was gone…well, Rhodey didn't know what to do.

"I'm sorry to hear that, man," Rhodey said sadly and Tony shrugged as thought he didn't care but Rhodey knew that wasn't true.

"It's fine. We just wanted different things," Tony told him and Rhodey nodded in understanding. He knew what those things were. Children…Pepper wanted children. Rhodey had hoped that Pepper would get pregnant and Tony would finally settle down, stepping back from the Avengers a bit, but he should've known.

Tony just couldn't stop.

Pepper expressed her concerns about Tony to Rhodey on numerous occasions but he didn't think Tony's obsession with the Avengers was so bad that he would give Pepper up for it. It scared Rhodey to think that Tony was that obsessed with righting his wrongs but he also knew he couldn't change Tony's mind. Once Tony had his mind set on something then it was impossible to change his mind. In some instances this would be a good thing but not this time.

Unhealthy was the only word that came to Rhodey's mind.

"I've just been a bit bored lately. That's all," Tony said, trying to reassure Rhodey but they both knew that Tony's reassurances were lies. This only seemed to deepen Rhodey's worry.

"I don't really like you staying at the tower all the time. Just you alone in that tower doesn't seem right," Rhodey said, finally voicing his opinion. Tony rolled his eyes, giving the false image that he was his old self but deep down he knew he was anything but his old self. All his old habits didn't seem to hold that much humor or teasing as they used to.

"I'm not the kid, Rhodey. I'm a big boy. I can stay in the big scary dark tower all by myself," Tony told his friend sarcastically but Rhodey didn't look amused.

"I mean it, Tony. I know what you do when you're alone. You start thinking and you start having these crazy ideas," Rhodey said, deciding to be honest with Tony for once. "It's not healthy."

"What do you think I'm going to do? Jump off the tower?" Tony said, using his sarcasm once more as a defense mechanism to dodge all of Rhodey's concerns. "I'm fine. I've been keeping pretty busy up there with little miss author. Spending a couple days out of the week with a woman half my age isn't a bad way to kill my boredom."

Tony only paused when he saw the disappointed look on Rhodey's face. He narrowed his eyes at his friend.

"I was just joking. I'm not sleeping with her if that's what you're thinking but thanks for thinking so highly of me," Tony told Rhodey, a bit annoyed that Rhodey thought that Tony would revert back to his old philandering ways.

"You can't blame me for thinking that, Tony. You've been acting weird lately," Rhodey told him and Tony's anger faded at Rhodey's words. He supposed he didn't have a right to be angry at Rhodey for thinking that. He hadn't been honest with Rhodey about a lot of stuff, after all. However, instead of just telling Rhodey this, he continued to deflect.

"She's cute but not really my type anyways," Tony said and it was true. Mia looked nothing like the usual women he used to go out with. Tony always had a thing for tall women but Mia was anything but tall. The short brunette didn't even some up to his shoulder. She also looked too much like the school teacher type but not like the stern and mean looking teacher but the charming and cute kindergarten teacher. The one who read storybooks to her students and helped them with art projects. Her purse was filled with glitter and popsicle sticks from her day at work.

That was exactly what Mia made him think of.

Despite how disgruntled she seemed at his blunt words and unapologetic flirting, the brunette was also very kind and patient. She didn't seem eager to get his attention but she didn't seem to mind his attention either. Mia seemed impartial to Tony which he liked because usually everyone seemed to have an opinion about him but not her. She listened to his tales of his old ways without the slightest change in her expression which astonished Tony. He expected a disgusted look or a roll of the eyes but Mia looked unaffected by all his stories. She just wrote a couple notes and gave him an encouraging smile to continue.

Maybe Mia should look up a career in therapy if the writing thing never worked out…which was a joke because she was a very successful author.

"Your type meaning women who can actually put up with you which before this author was a list only consisting of Pepper," Rhodey said jokingly, breaking Tony out of his thoughts. Tony snapped out of his thoughts about the brunette who seemed to have become such a part of his life in the short time he had gotten to know her. It was true. He probably saw Mia these days more than he saw Rhodey or Vision.

"It's not like that, Rhodey. I hired her for the biography. I thought it might boost the Avengers' public image up a little more," Tony said but Rhodey didn't look like he believed him.

"Yes so you hire a pretty twenty something-year-old novelist to write your biography?" Rhodey asked doubtfully, almost teasing his friend. Rhodey always jumped at the chance in giving his friend a hard time since Tony was always the one to do the teasing. Now that Rhodey felt that Tony hadn't reverted back to his old ways, he felt better about teasing his friend about spending time with the young author. "Maybe you're reverting back to your old ways, after all."

"I'm not reverting to my old ways and even if I was reverting to my old ways, McCallum wouldn't be an option," Tony grumbled, quickly becoming annoyed with Rhodey's teasing. It seemed like Tony Stark could dish it out but he definitely couldn't take it.

"Is the thing with women being taller than you some kind of kink? Is that what it is?" Rhodey said jokingly and Tony playfully glared at him. "Is that why you're not interested in the author? She too short for you?"

"Ha ha," Tony said, sounding unamused. "No, I meant that she's too young."

"That's ridiculous," Rhodey said in disbelief. "You used to go out with younger women all the time. All those models were a lot younger than you if I remember correctly."

"I never went out with women _that_ young," Tony told him defensively, liking to think that at least he had never sunk that low during his old days. "Rhodey, she could probably be my daughter. Seventeen years? I'm not a pervert."

"Hey, the way you acted back then…definitely," Rhodey said teasingly and Tony gave him an unamused look. "Look, it's not like she's in college or anything. She's a grown woman and you're a grown man. The age thing starts not to matter after a certain age."

"I thought you didn't like the idea of me sleeping with her? Why are you trying to push this?" Tony questioned and Rhodey shrugged.

"Look, I just don't like the idea of single you. You're not good at being alone," Rhodey told him honestly. "And…I can tell that you seem to be interested in this woman. So what does her age matter? I get that you and Pepper are through but if you're interested in someone else then that's fine too-"

"I'm not interested in McCallum," Tony told him, feeling uncomfortable by how worried Rhodey seemed to be about him. He couldn't believe Rhodey thought he was some kind of child who was incapable of surviving on his own. Tony was perfectly capable of being single. "She's just writing my biography."

Okay…so maybe Tony was kind of lying about McCallum. He was still a guy so he wasn't immune to the beauty and charm of the young author. Tony knew that he couldn't really go anywhere with his harmless flirtation anyways. Mia was too young for him and not to mention she was still obviously hurting from her husband's death. Tony couldn't pretend to know what that felt like but he knew it would've killed him to lose Pepper so maybe he had an idea as to what it felt like, after all.

"Well, I just want you to know that you don't have to be alone forever just because things with Pepper didn't work out," Rhodey told him and Tony nodded, looking a bit tired but also not feeling up to arguing with his friend.

"I know, Rhodey," Tony said even though he honestly felt like everyone else was better off if he was alone. No one else needed to be dragged into his mess. He already did wrong by Pepper and he didn't want to do the same thing to someone else.

Rhodey then decided to change the subject by talking about how things with the kid were going but Tony remained lost in his thoughts over certain short brunette who seemed to be on his mind a lot these days. He knew he shouldn't think about her like that because some things could never be but he couldn't help himself. Tony could never help himself as it turned out.

Tony was infamously impulsive which probably wouldn't help in the case of Mia McCallum.


End file.
